BHOPAL, 17 January 2003 — “Qualifying for the Super-Six stage in the ensuing World Cup cricket tournament in South Africa is the key to title triumph. If India can do this then winning the title for the second time after 1983 is within the realm of reality. All the teams in the last Super-Six stage would be of the same strength and caliber. “From there on, it would be anybody’s game. The team, which plays better on that particular day in the remaining matches, would lift the World Cup”.

The above opinion was expressed by India’s Wisden Cricketer of the Century Kapil Dev while replying spiritedly to volley of questions at a crowded press conference here on Monday night. He was in town to bolster the publicity campaign of Pune-based Kinetic Engineering’s motorcycle Kinetic Boss. Kinetic has recently signed on Kapil Dev to be the brand ambassador for Boss.

Kapil, who captained India’s World Cup winning team in 1983, said he had no doubts about the team’s potential but the big players needed to perform when it mattered the most. “We should not be disheartened by the outlandish display of the Indian cricketers in New Zealand in the last couple of matches but see their performance in totality in the last 10 months,” he explained. Though he does not feel the country has a realistic chance of winning the World Cup but hoped that the team performs something “extraordinary” to clinch the coveted title. “On current form, it’s very difficult to see India’s victory but you never know in cricket... Nobody gave us any chance at the 1983 World Cup... But we proved everyone wrong playing fantastic and inspired cricket,” he observed.

“As an Indian, my heart says ‘yes’ but my mind says ‘no’,” he exclaimed.

India’s greatest all-rounder said that the country’s chances in South Africa would mainly depend on the performance of the batsmen. “The big guns must blaze at the right time and they have to perform very well as India’s strength was in its batting while bowling and fielding remained gray areas,” he added. “Bowling has never been our strength... The question is whether we can utilize our batting power and apply ourselves at the crucial stages,” Kapil commented.

The former Indian captain defended Saurav Ganguly and did not hold him responsible for the team’s dismal performance in New Zealand, saying a captain was as good as his team. “He should continue to lead the side till the World Cup... This is not the time to bring in a new captain. We should extend full support to Ganguly and the team,” he opined. He vehemently denied media reports that he had advocated a change in captaincy.

The great all-rounder saw no reason for replacing coach John Wright as he thought he had been doing his job quite well.

“I do not believe in Indian or foreign coach... one has to perform,” he noted.

While pointing out that India’s disastrous tour to New Zealand had dented the confidence of the players and it would be difficult to restore their morale, the all-rounder held the pitches responsible for the debacle. “I had not seen such type of wickets anywhere in the world during my two-decade-long career. Even if you pick ten world class batsmen and make them face mediocre bowlers on such turfs, I doubt if the team could make 150 runs”, he said.

He vehemently disagreed with a questioner that he had ever been in-charge of the cricket pitch committee while the truth is that he was only in-charge of the ground committee. The ground committee had the responsibility to only ensure that the condition of the pitch at the playground was not life threatening while the dressing room, toilet and other facilities were of international standards, he revealed.

On being asked when an all-rounder of his repute would India have again, he quipped jokingly: “I will ask my mother.”

He agreed with a questioner that there is too much cricket these days which is not a good trend.

Replying to a question the legendary Kapil Dev reiterated his stand giving a clean chit to the former Indian captain Mohammed Azharuddin, saying: “To me, Mohammed Azharuddin is innocent. Azhar had played with me for about two decades and to my mind he has not done anything wrong,” Kapil stressed. At the same time, he said, if anyone could provide sufficient proof to Azhar’s involvement in match-fixing, “then, I will turn his severest critic,” he added.

“Let us not criticize someone who had served the country so well for so long, believing allegations that are yet to be proved,” Kapil asserted. “These are my views about Azhar and if you (mediamen) agree then well and good, otherwise you are free to have your own views,” Kapil remarked.

Favoring induction of players in official positions in the Cricket Board, the World Cup winning skipper said players should come forward, as there was not a single player on the Board as a member.

The “Haryana Hurricane” refused to comment on the players signing the ICC contract, saying he had not seen the contract and it was for the players, BCCI and ICC to decide on the issue. He refused to comment on the team’s composition saying it was the selectors’ job and the team requires to perform with the present lot. He emphatically told a questioner with folded hands that he had no intention to join politics at any point of time.