Birmingham: India’s World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev feels that the present Indian team can win the Champions Trophy.
In an exclusive interview with Gulf News, Dev said: “This Indian team has the combination to win the Champions Trophy. They are playing as a unit and playing very good cricket.”
Dev does not believe in naming the winner before the final.
“In one-day cricket you cannot predict so correctly. Once you make it to the last stage, it all depends on how you play on that given day and in one-day cricket anything can happen,” he said.
The legendary all-rounder is here in the new role of a commentator for the Dubai-based Channel 2 Group’s Cricket Radio. Asked about handling the conditions here well, Dev said: “To win matches here you need to stay there in the middle. You don’t have to go after the bowlers but should wait for the loose deliveries.
“Once you are on top, understand the bounce of the pitch, which you often are not used to, then it is easier to get runs here than in other places.”
Dev is an ardent supporter of the Champions Trophy and is disappointed that this tournament is set to be scrapped.
“Since only eight top teams are playing, it’s always bound to be a good tournament. To stage a 15-day tournament is really nice but if you stage for longer duration, then you are taking the charm out of the World Cup. If players don’t feel tired playing so much cricket, then I feel this tournament should continue.”
When asked whether memories of the 1983 World Cup victory came flooding back after seeing the thousands of Indian fans cheering for the team at the Champions Trophy, Dev said: “It will always be a good memory for me. We played against the West Indies in a second round match of the World Cup here (at Oval). We did not win here but by that time we had already qualified.”
Does he enjoy the role of a commentator?
“It’s nice and enjoyable. I can see cricket differently since normally I watch cricket only on television.
“I have not been talking [commenting on radio] about the game and to be frank have not really done this job [before]. It is the first time I am trying to do it full time. So it is enjoyable, coming back to cricket and it was easy. You could say it is like returning a fish to the water. So it is not difficult,” he said.
