"If I Were Board President...": Kapil Dev's Word Of Caution To BCCI On Team's Schedule

Team India has been facing severe criticism after their experiment to bench skipper Rohit Sharma and star batter Virat Kohli, miserably failed during the second ODI against West Indies. The visitors were led by all-rounder Hardik Pandya and were bundled out for just 181 runs. Later, West Indies comfortably chased down the target in just 36.4 over with six wickets in hand. 1983 World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev has been critical about Team India's performance as the clock for the upcoming ODI World Cup is ticking.

The Rohit Sharma-led side will be aiming to end their decade-long ICC trophy drought in the ODI World Cup, which will be held in October in India. Speaking about the mega event, Kapil lashed out at the BCCI for preparing a tough schedule, which involves a lot of travelling. 

"I don't know. When you perform as good as that, it's the right board, nothing wrong. But the right board also needs to improve. If I show you the fixture I have seen today, India is playing 11 matches and the amount of travelling they have to do... who made that fixture? Now, how can I look after my team when they are playing in India?" said Kapil on The Week. 

"You are going to Dharamshala, then to Bengaluru, to Kolkata... playing in nine different places. Somebody asked me, and I said, 'If I were the board president, I would have a chartered flight for my team.' I want them to give their best performance on the field. These are the things the board has to do," he added. 

The ODI World Cup will kick-start from October 5 with England taking on New Zealand in the opening match in Ahmedabad. India will be playing their first match against Australia on October 8 in Chennai. 

Currently, Team India is preparing for the third and final ODI match against West Indies, which will be played on Tuesday. Following this, both the teams will be squaring off against each other in the five-match T20I series. 

Topics mentioned in this article

India Cricket Team West Indies Cricket Team Rohit Sharma Virat Kohli Kapil Dev Cricket