Kapil Dev expresses displeasure about MS Dhoni's on-field behaviour

The Salaam Cricket Conclave, organised by Aaj Tak, was attended by many former cricket stars, who held forth on their opinions on a variety of topics, mostly regarding what will transpire at the World T20. Sourav Ganguly, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Kapil Dev, Md Azharuddin, VVS Laxman, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, RP Singh and Joginder Sharma were among those who attended.

While the discussion was going on, Kapil Dev surprisingly criticised the way MS Dhoni carries himself on the field. Kapil Dev is India’s first ever World Cup winning captain, while MS Dhoni is India’s most successful ever captain at World Cups.

While Dhoni’s ‘Captain Cool’ demeanour has earned him many plaudits, apart from wins in high-pressure games, Kapil finds faults with it. He said that for a youngster coming into the team, how the captain behaves carries a lot of significance, and Dhoni’s behaviour is just not confidence-inspiring.

When a debutant concedes a boundary, he looks towards his captain, and a captain should then go up to him and encourage him, and assure him that the next ball will get a better result. But Dhoni is too calm on the field, said Kapil.

Favourites for World T20

In the World T20, Kapil’s favourites for the semi-finals are India, South Africa, Australia and Pakistan. He said that the India team were enjoying such a run of form that they could not be beaten by any team, and that this is because of the competition for places within the team.

He also said that the nature of the pitches to be seen at the World T20 still cannot be predicted, and that any team could win the title depending on that. Even England stands a chance because of the great form they have been enjoying recently in limited overs cricket.

Not many people have touted Pakistan to be among the teams who stand a chance of being world champions, but this is not the only contention Kapil has stuck his neck out in making.

Kapil’s way of encouraging his players might have been different in his own playing days, but he will probably be reminded by Dhoni fans that each person has his own way of going about things, and Dhoni’s way has reaped more success than any India captain before him.

Kapil had also said a few days ago that Pakistan would have been a world-beating side only if they had a captain like MS Dhoni.