The 1983 World Cup winning team skipper Kapil Dev and veteran all-rounder while unveiling his wax statue at the Madame Tussauds museum in New Delhi on Thursday has expressed his satisfaction over Team India’s squad for upcoming ICC Champions Trophy while stating defending champions has the capability to clinch the title in England if injuries won’t take place during the 18-day tournament which is comprised of 15 matches.
In 2013, India laid its hands on coveted trophy under the tutelage of Mahendra Singh Dhoni after beating hosts England in the rain-curtailed final by five runs at Edgbaston in Birmingham.
“I think the way India is playing they should be able to defend (the 2017 Champions Trophy title). Should not have any major injuries. Good part is that they won the last time,” Kapil Dev was quoted by NDTV.
India will face Pakistan in their opening match of the ICC event which is further seen as an exciting contest between both the teams.
“It looks good the way India is playing for the past 5-7 years,” Kapil Dev said. “It depends on how well they will apply themselves in the period. It is not easy to win any tournament. Do we have a team? We have. Depends on how they maintain themselves in that couple of weeks and keep pressure on the opponents,” Dev said.
The museum which has installed around 50 wax statues of personalities from all walks of life across different fields while giving their best further include celebrities from sports world followed by history, film and TV and history.
While talking to reporters at the Tussauds, Dev said it is an honour for him while adding he had to ‘strip’ in a bid to give a complete shape to the statue.
“I had to take off my clothes — didn’t have to strip totally but it was weird. It’s a new thought. I was more educated about how this is done,” Kapil revealed.
When he was further asked about Indian skipper Virat Kohli’s poor run during the ongoing Indian Premier League, Dev stated the team revolves around every body’s contribution.’
“Even in Tests, people used to say if Virat does not score, India wouldn’t win. Everybody is important, unfair to bring down other players. Does not matter if an individual is in form or not. (It is) impossible to have another Kapil Dev. But there will be better Kapils, 100s more,” Dev asserted.
The 58-year-old Chandigarh-born Dev further added the unit is a complacent one while praising Dhoni’s efforts behind the stumps followed by an all-round performance from slow-bowlers with the likes of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.
“(Ravichandran) Ashwin is an all-rounder. (Ravindra) Jadeja and (MS) Dhoni too are fab all-rounders. Anyone with more than one skill is a good all-rounder. I wish a fast bowler and batsman come out but this Indian team has enough players,” Dev concluded.
From India, the interactive museum has erected the sculptures of Mahatma Gandhi, Amitabh Bachchan and Sachin Tendulkar from India.
However, the museum is supposed to have 23 branches across the globe and has been one of the fascinating places for tourists — to have a look at the sculptures prepared from wax.
Dev played 131 Tests, 225 One-day Internationals for India in which he scored 9,031 while bagging 687 wickets in both the formats.