Kapil Dev makes ‘team game not individual’ statement on Jasprit Bumrah’s injury ahead of Champions Trophy – India TV

Former India captain Kapil Dev wants the focus to be on the team and not an individual as the Champions Trophy knocks the Indian team on the door. In a major blow for India, Jasprit Bumrah has been ruled out of the tournament due to a back injury he picked in the Border-Gavaskar series.

Kapil stated that players being busy for 10 months in a year is a reason for injuries becoming more common. However, he wants the focus should be on players supporting each other and on the team rather than individuals. “The only thing that worries me is that they play for 10 months a year — injuries will be much more common,” the 1983 World Cup-winning skipper said at the Tata Steel Golf prize distribution ceremony here.

He was asked about whether the Men in Blue will miss Bumrah in the tournament. The former skipper replied, “Why talk about someone who is not in the team? It’s a team game, and the team has to win, not individuals.

This is not badminton, tennis, or golf; we are playing a team sport in the Champions Trophy. If we play as a team, we will definitely win.”

“You never want your main players to get injured, but if it happens, you can’t do anything about it. Good luck to my Indian team — go and play well,” the 1983 World Cup-winning captain said.

He feels the youngsters are extremely confident in today’s time. “When you see the youngsters, their confidence is unbelievable. We didn’t have this much confidence when we were young. Good luck to them.”

Kapil, who is the PGTI president pitched for the Golf sport. “Tell everyone to play golf. If they are not playing cricket, they should come and play golf. If they do, their performance will be better. There is a lot of fun in golf.”

He likened Saudi-backed LIV Golf’s rise to the IPL’s impact on cricket, stressing that more tournaments would only benefit players. “When the IPL came, everyone benefited. So, whenever there is change, everyone will benefit. The more tournaments, the better. The more events that happen, the better it is for the players,” Kapil said.