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Cricket Players'For a big player like him, it is a very weak statement': Kapil Dev reacts to Kohli's 'we were not brave enough' comment
After the defeat, speaking to the host broadcaster during the post-match presentation ceremony, Virat Kohli said, "Quite bizarre. To be very honest and brutal up front, I don't think we were brave enough with bat or ball," which did not go down well with Kapil Dev
Former captain and champion all-rounder Kapil Dev is taken aback by Virat Kohli’s ‘we were not brave enough’ comment following India’s eight-wicket defeat to New Zealand in their Super 12 Group 2 match in Dubai on Sunday.
After the defeat, speaking to the host broadcaster during the post-match presentation ceremony, Kohli said: "Quite bizarre. To be very honest and brutal up front, I don't think we were brave enough with bat or ball," which did not go down well with Kapil, who feels it is the last thing a captain should say or feel.
"For a big player like him, it is a very weak statement. If that is the kind of body language the team has and if that is kind of thought process the captain has, it is really tough to lift the team. I felt a little strange hearing those words. He isn’t that kind of a player," Kapil said on ABP News.
"He is a fighter. I think he got lost in the moment or something. A captain should not say words like ‘we were not brave enough’. You are playing for your country and he has the passion. But when you say such words, fingers will definitely be pointed."
The loss sees India’s hopes of reaching the semi-final hang by a thread, as two defeats in the first two matches has not only pushed India to fifth in the group, but also dented their net run rate. Looking back at India’s poor show, Kapil added that no amount of criticism is going to be enough for a shoddy performance such as the one dished out by India on Sunday evening.
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"I don't have words. How much can we even criticise? A team that claims to have played the IPL and gain practice, when it plays like this, there will be criticism. When you win, no amount of praise is enough, but right now, no amount of criticism is enough because they did not play the kind of cricket expected of them. You fight and lose, we understand. But today there was not a single performance which we can be happy about," Kapil said.
