‘Seniors should lead the way’

When cricket legend Kapil Dev made an appearance at the Bombay Presidency Golf Club for the Birla Sunlife Corporate golf tournament on Sunday, he had to put up with a flurry of questions regarding the Indian team’s poor performance in South Africa so far.

“Movement is always a problem for our players as so is the bounce. But the youngsters should not take long to adapt to the conditions. They are after all professionals and it’s up to them to adapt,” said the World Cup winning former captain. “The problem at the moment is that seniors have not done well and it is because of that the juniors have started to struggle,” added the legend.

The 47-year-old said it was up to the experienced players to instil in them self-belief and to teach the younger lot a thing or two about adaptability in the bouncy conditions of South Africa. “It’s for the seniors to show the way to the youngsters. If the juniors start leading the way then it’s a clear sign that the time is up for the seniors,” said Kapil.
He also criticised the media  for concentrating more on the non-cricketing activities of the players. “We should not get into their personal lives," he said.