Former India captain Kapil Dev admitted he was surprised by Virat Kohli’s “we were not brave enough” comment after the defeat to New Zealand in the Super 12 fixture of the ongoing T20 World Cup on Sunday. New Zealand thrashed India by 8 wickets at the Dubai International Stadium, handing the Men in Blue their second defeat in as many matches. After the match, Virat was asked to reflect on the defeat to the Blackcaps, to which he said: “Quite bizarre. To be very honest and brutal up front, I don’t think we were brave enough with bat or ball.”

During a discussion on ABP News, Kapil Dev reacted to Kohli’s comment, saying: “Obviously, it’s a very weak statement from a player of Virat Kohli’s stature. We all know that he has the hunger and desire to win games for the team. But, if the body language of the team and thought process of the captain is not up to the mark, it’s very difficult to lift the mood of the players inside the dressing room.”

Kapil Dev, who led India to their first-ever World Cup in 1983, also urged the head coach Ravi Shastri and mentor MS Dhoni to use their experience to motivate the team in such dire times. He also added that the criticism of the team is justified, and the players should cope with it.

Team India now have an outside chance of qualifying for the semis. They will have to win their remaining games and hope that the other results go in their way.
India’s top order completely crumbled on Sunday as the team could manage a score of 110/7 in 20 overs in the face of some quality bowling by the New Zealand seamers. India’s bowling too has been below par as only Jasprit Bumrah could pick a couple of wickets against the Kiwis. India had earlier lost by 10 wickets to Pakistan.