"KL Rahul can be a huge asset for India in this T20 World Cup" - Kapil Dev
Former India captain Kapil Dev had just finished a round of golf and looked satisfied with the workout. Donning a new hairstyle, he settled down for a chat with his friend Ajay Sethi for company, along with a nice cup of tea.
Just to warm him up early on, I decided to bowl him a loosener. 'Who among the current lot of young players does he love to watch?', was the question. Kapil paaji was immediately in his element.
“K L Rahul. I just love to watch him bat. He has so much confidence in the shots he plays and now with all the experience Rahul can be a huge asset for India in this T20 World Cup. I have always enjoyed seeing him play and I feel he will do a lot of good things for Indian cricket going forward,” said the legend.
If he was effusive in his praise for Rahul, he wasn’t willing to get drawn into the debate on whether India has a chance of winning the trophy, and he shared his thoughts on the topic just as he walked into the Talk 100.3 studios.
“I don’t answer that question you know. Rather, I will say they need to make the top 4. That’s what the aim should be, for then an entirely new tournament starts thereafter. And yes India definitely has the team to make the top 4!", he confidently said.
"He is fully up to speed with everything" - Kapil Dev confident of MS Dhoni's contribution as Indian team mentor
Today T20 World Cup match toss is done, click here to find out what they have decided to do first.
It is no secret that Ravi Shastri is a very close friend of Kapil Dev’s and it was expected that Kapil paaji would shower praise on Ravi.
“He has done a very good job with the team. Under him, India has won twice in Australia and was leading 2-1 against England. To win away from home is not easy and these are very impressive results. I hope the team does well in this World Cup because it will be a fitting finale for Ravi”, he said.
One of the biggest talking points ahead of the T20 World Cup 2021 is MS Dhoni's appointment as the team's mentor, and when asked if his presence can make a difference to the team, Kapil Dev is confident it will.
“Dhoni is one of the calmest players around and has just won the IPL. So he is fully up to speed with everything that is going on. He should be able to give ideas that will help Virat in the middle. And not too long ago was he a part of the dressing room, and that should also help the boys”, he concluded.
India T20 World Cup squad 2021 will begin its campaign with a blockbuster clash against arch-rivals Pakistan on October 24th, in what promises to be a thrilling start to the T20 World Cup campaign for Virat Kohli's men.