Stay away from injury: Kapil Dev

NEW DELHI: Former captain Kapil Dev on Thursday heaped praise on young Indian bowlers for their 'excellent' performance in Australia but advised them to ensure injury did not affect their promising careers.

Kapil said the country suffers if bowlers are injured.

"They are bowling excellently in Australia. They have proven that they have the talent to unsettle the best batsmen in the world."

"They are all young and in order to sustain their top form, they should take care of their body so that they stay away from injury," Kapil said.

He was speaking at a function to announce the sponsorship of Indian players for the Beijing Paralympic Games in September by BHP Billiton.

"My message to the young bowlers is that when you are injured, the country suffers. Indian bowlers have been injury-prone for a long time, so they have to take care of themselves and see that injury does not break their sustained peak form."

Kapil said he did not know how players who sit out of matches due to injury, like in the case of Yuvraj Singh, must feel, as he did not have any serious injury in his career.

"Fortunately, I did not have any serious injury in my career which forced me to sit out for long. So, my advice is the current bowlers should pay attention on their fitness."