Kohli will bounce back into form, says Kapil
mumbai — Indian cricket legend Kapil Dev is not losing sleep over the recent lean patch of Virat Kohli and is confident that the Delhi stalwart will bounce back into form in the ICC Champions Trophy commencing on June 1.
“It (Kohli’s form) should not be a worry. I know his ability and talent. He will bounce back. I don’t see any reason why he will not be among the runs,” Kapil said on Wednesday.
“He is an important player for the team and if he starts getting runs, then the whole team gets motivated. If your captain starts getting runs, it’s the best thing that happens,” Kapil added.
Kohli, who hammered 973 runs last season in 16 IPL matches, managed only 308 runs in 10 games in the 10th edition of the Indian Premier League, with a highest score of 64 for Royal Challengers Bangalore who finished last on the league table.
Defending champions India start their campaign in the tournament with the much-awaited group clash
It (Kohli’s form) should not be a worry. I know his ability and talent. He will bounce back Kapil Dev
against arch rivals Pakistan on June 4 in Birmingham.
Kapil, who led underdogs India to an unforgettable World Cup triumph in 1983, termed the present Indian bowling attack as the best and heaped special praise on young death-over specialist Jasprit Bumrah.
“When I saw Bumrah for the first time, I never expected that he will rise. He has such a strong mind! When your action is not so clean, it is difficult to maintain such good line and length and bowl those yorkers. He has the strength within himself. Whatever he wants to do, he can do,” said Kapil about the Ahmedabad-born bowler.
“His mindset is better and I have started respecting him much more now,” said Kapil, who had captured 434 wickets from 131 Test matches.
“If I see all these players, I don’t think anybody else can fit in. Bhuvnesh (Kumar) is very good, Umesh (Yadav) is very good, (Mohammed) Shami is extraordinary. (Ravichandran) Ashwin will be back and (Ravindra) Jadeja. This is the best bowlers we have in the country,” said the 58-year-old former India captain who took 253 wickets in 225 ODIs.
Kapil says the Indian team for the Champions Trophy looks very strong on paper.
“On paper it looks very good. Perhaps I know this team much better than other teams, so I can say, the Indian team looks very good at this stage,” the cricket legend said.
Ajinkya Rahane, who has struggled for form in IPL 10, scored an impressive half-century in Rising Pune Supergiant’s win over Mumbai Indians in the IPL Qualifier 1 on Tuesday. And Kapil said he was hoping the innings would boost the talented batsman’s confidence going into the Champions Trophy.
“Rahane has shown time and again that he has the ability and temperament (to score runs). Just sometimes one knock can change the thought process, and I hope he will be much confident now.”
Kapil also welcomed the presence of veterans MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh in the team and said their vast experience would stand the team in good stead.
“The youngsters have lot of respect for both of them. They have to play to their potential. We can’t expect Dhoni or Yuvraj to be the same, as they were 15 years ago. Their experience can come into the game,” he added.
Pakistan, according to Kapil, would be the underdogs in the India-Pakistan clash in Birmingham.
“The Indian team obviously looks far better. But Pakistan at this stage have nothing to lose. They have everything to gain and they are the underdogs. They have ruthless players, but the Indian team, on paper, looks far better,” he signed off. — PTI