"Do You Expect Him To Take 10 Wickets?": Kapil Dev Slams Young India Star's Critics
Former India captain Kapil Dev backed pacer Anshul Kamboj, who had a lukewarm debut against England in the fourth Test in Manchester.
- Kapil Dev backed pacer Anshul Kamboj despite a costly debut against England at Manchester
- Kamboj conceded 89 runs in 18 overs and took one wicket in his first Test innings
- Kapil said it is too early to judge Kamboj’s potential and urged the fans to show some patience
Former India captain Kapil Dev backed pacer Anshul Kamboj, who had a lukewarm debut against England in the fourth Test in Manchester. Coming as a replacement of Arshdeep Singh in the squad, the right-arm pacer had big shoes to fill-in as he was named directly into the Playing XI after Akash Deep got injured. However, his debut was not an ideal one as he leaked 89 runs in 18 overs and took just one wicket. Amid all the criticism for his performance, Kamboj found some backing from the 1983 World Cup-winning captain, who urged the fans to give some time to the young pacer.
Kapil stated that it is too soon to judge his potential as the team needs to assess Kamboj performance in the upcoming games.
"What do you expect from a debutant, that he should take 10 wickets? You have to assess his potential. If he's good enough, he will bounce back. Everyone is nervous when playing their first game. The result may not be ideal, but I believe the ability is there, and that's more important," Kapil told media at the launch of the second-half schedule of the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI).
He also said the England series will serve as a valuable learning experience for young India skipper Shubman Gill and urged critics to give him some time to grow into the leadership role.
"Give him time. This is his first series, he will commit mistakes and there will be many positives over the period of time, he will learn. There is no problem if he is learning. There will be mistakes, but he is learning from his mistakes, that is very important," he said.
Gill's India saw England pile up the highest-ever Test total scored at Old Trafford, Manchester during the fourth Test of the series. England made a mammoth first innings score of 669, with Joe Root and Ben Stokes slamming tons.
"This is a young team, they are getting the opportunity to play and in the coming days these players will win. It is just a new team. Any new team in the world takes time to adjust. Gill is a new captain, and he will learn a lot and I think this series will be a learning step," he added.
(With PTI Inputs)
India Cricket Team
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