‘We wasted time on Bumrah’ – Former India skipper Kapil Dev slams Indian cricketer over injury issues

The Indian Cricket Team is currently facing various issues ahead of the prestigious ODI World Cup. The team is suffering from injuries, which led to an experiment months before the marquee tournament. This has sparked controversy as fans and former players accuse the Indian Cricket Board and team management of poor rehabilitation of players.

However, adding fuel to the fire, former India skipper Kapil Dev slammed players for preferring the Indian Premier League over the national team. He said that players used to play in the IPL with minor injuries but refused to do the same for ICT. During an extensive interview with The Week magazine, Kapil provided in-depth insights about prominent players like Bumrah and Pant. He also emphasised that the rise of the Indian Premier League has presented challenges for players to take proper care of themselves.

“What happened to Bumrah? He started working with so much belief, but if he’s not there (in a World Cup semi-final or final), we wasted time on him. Rishabh Pant is such a great cricketer. Had he been there, our Test cricket would’ve been better. God is kind; it’s not as if I never got injured. But today, they are playing 10 months in a year”, says Kapil.

“Give a benefit of doubt to that, but everybody has to look after themselves. IPL is a great thing, but IPL can also spoil you. Because of a little bit of injury and you will play in the IPL. With a little bit of injury, you won’t play for India. You would take a break. I’m being very open about it,” the former India all-rounder further added.

The board has to understand how much to play: Kapil Dev

The 1983 World Cup winner’s captain also suggested that the Indian Cricket Board proactively protect players from injuries. He said that it’s high time for boards to understand how much cricket they need to play. “If you have a small injury, you would play in the IPL if it’s an important game. At this stage, the cricket board has to understand how much cricket they should play. That is the bottom line. If today you have resources and money but don’t have three- or five-year calendars, There’s something wrong with the cricket board there,” said Kapil Dev.

It’s worth noting that earlier this month, the Indian Cricket Board released a brief injury report for various players. According to the report, pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Prasidh Krishna are set to make a comeback as they are in the final stage of recovery. The board was also informed that key batters KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer have started batting practice and might be available for the Asia Cup in 2023. On the other hand, wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant also started batting and keeping practice but is far from match fitness.