India’s path ahead in T20 is in unravelling multi-tasking players and asking established players to shed their reluctance to bowl. They will be best served in trusting the abilities of Deepak Chahar as a genuine all-rounder.
Kapil Dev was overwhelmed as he tried narrating to me what he had just heard from Ranveer Singh. The Bollywood sensation, who has played the lead character in the much-awaited film ’83, was continuously crying on the phone after watching the final cut. Ranveer’s emotions oozed out with the sum total of his efforts that had matched, at least cinematically, on the achievements and challenges of being Kapil Dev.
Even at this age, Kapil paaji managed what many young actors couldn’t afford to do – outdo Ranveer in his bizarreness on screen and then be able to enjoy it. Just the sheer ability to multi-task off-field as an avid golfer, commentator, actor, corporate speaker, and successful businessman.
It is definitely not easy to be Kapil Dev, as Ranveer now truly knows. The only other person who understands this more precisely is Hardik Pandya. He is the all-rounder who flattered to deceive. Who made headlines with his declaration of the watch he was wearing at Indian customs, and for not declaring his complete match-fitness.
Hardik was never the all-rounder Indian team management was hoping for — certainly not in this World Cup with his back and shoulder injuries. Being Kapil Dev is not just about the abilities to big-hit, to bowl quick, to take wickets, to be athletic in the field, to be a posture of positivity. It is also about longevity.
India’s quest for a Kapil Dev has seen a new entrant now in the Rahul Dravid- Rohit Sharma era and goes by the name of Venkatesh Iyer. It remains to be seen if Venkatesh indeed even qualifies for being an all-rounder, given his limited abilities to bowl. That he didn’t bowl in the first T20Is against New Zealand means even more limited faith in his abilities as a prominent sixth bowling option. And already the MP lad is batting far way from his comfort zone, making it an altogether alien zone in the playing XI – not bowling and batting out of his position.
India desperately needs genuine all-rounders in the T20 team, and that is the only constant between the victories of 1983, 2007 and 2011. If India needs to add to their tally in this World Cup glory, it needs a line-up of multi-tasking people and not just bits-and-pieces players. Else, the team management needs Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Surya Kumar Yadav to start bowling every game to test their effectiveness in crunch situations. Still, with the next World Cup scheduled in Australia, a fast-bowling all-rounder is the need of the hour.
Despite a set playing against New Zealand, another in South Africa in the A system, and the rest slogging in the Mushtaq Ali tournament for an IPL contract, there is no fast-bowling all-rounder in sight.
Team India will do well to invest in the abilities of Deepak Chahar as a fast-bowling all-rounder. A genuine asset with the ball and his swinging abilities, Deepak Chahar has shown he has the temperament and skills to be effectively utilized higher in the order at No.6 or No.7. MS Dhoni believed in his abilities with the bat and sent him up on a few occasions to pinch-hit but a systematic effort to believe in Deepak Chahar’s abilities with the bat will help the balance of the team.
The need of the hour is to multi-task; from the last World Cup Rahul, Rohit, Virat, Ishan, Hardik, Surya, Bumrah, Bhuvi, Shami, Varun Chakravarthy, Ashwin, Rahul Chahar --- that’s 12 of the 15 who played as specialists, leaving no scope of flexibility.
India desperately needs an all-rounder, and with what one foresees Hardik is still the best bet in the short run. Of course, only if he can bowl. Seeing India’s plight in the World Cup, Kapil Dev promises to talk to Hardik in near future and see if he can work together with him. Because Kapil realizes the value of a true-blue all-rounder.
India’s path ahead is in unravelling multi-tasking players and forcing some established players to shed their reluctance to bowl. After all, it is indeed not easy to be an all-rounder. Definitely not easy to be Kapil Dev.
No wonder, as we all say, Kapil Dev da jawaab nahi. Team India is still seeking answers.
(GS Vivek is Sports Editor with ABP News)
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