‘You’re always looking for the next hero’: Kapil Dev on finding Virat Kohli’s successor

Greater Noida: The Kapil Dev brand was a thing much before branding was a thing in Indian sports. It was truly an organic, eternal phenomenon. Today it is used perhaps exactly as it was always intended – to play it forward.The former Indian Test captain and 1983 World Cup winner, as president of the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI), which he slipped into like a proverbial glove, is helping to add immense value to Indian golf.On Wednesday, as the shadows lengthened at the Jaypee Greens Golf & Spa Resort, Kapil sat on the clubhouse green and gazed benignly at the last of the groups taking part in the tournament named after him. excerpts…How does it feel as an Indian sportsperson to have a tournament named after you?They did it without me knowing. They contacted my office and a decision was made. It should be the President Cup, not the Kapil Dev Invitational. I’m just a worker.Would it be correct to say that this is your third coming? First as a cricketer, then as a coach of the Indian team, now this…No, no. You can’t say coach. If I give you a job for 10 days, you can’t become a coach. I didn’t even work for six months (as a coach). I wouldn’t consider it a coaching task.How would you describe your role?I feel very happy. If we can do something for golf. I love working for cricket but if I don’t get invited I have to do something. So I feel very happy to be doing this for golf.If you played golf when you were an active cricketer, would it benefit you…?If I played golf back then, it would help my concentration. One bad shot can get you out even in cricket, but here your target is small.Many active cricketers today are serious golfers…Just go and enjoy. Cricketers should understand that they play for fun and make the game more popular. If they want to be professionals, they have to have a different mindset.Define “different mind set”…You need eight to 10 hours (daily) of workload. Golf is very, very hard.This brings us to this much used point of workload and injury management in cricket today. As someone who has never been injured playing cricket, why do you feel it is so common these days?I guess I can’t judge it. Only those who play can.For example, what does Hardik Pandya need to do to make himself available more often?Play more cricket.Do you think he doesn’t?I don’t know. You play more, your body adjusts to it. But if you play less and suddenly play more, the chance of injury increases. If your muscles are healthy, your injuries are less.Cricket injuries have become more common over the last four to five years. Is there too much going on in the game?Sandeep Patil nailed it very nicely. “We have played Ranji Trophy, Duleep Trophy, club cricket and other cricket in our time. In 365 days, if you can play 250 days, you’re in the game.Are you watching more golf or cricket today?I don’t watch cricket. Yes, if I see highlights or something special happens, definitely go check it out and enjoy it.What do you think has changed in cricket?A bit of equipment. Bats have changed. These young guys are very confident, much better. They get a lot more opportunities. In our time, if you are out of the team, you have to play Ranji Trophy, Duleep Trophy. The opportunities these cricketers have are plentiful.The board gave them more opportunities to come back and perform, like Bhuvi (Bhuvneshwar Kumar). He came back after four years as he played in the IPL, performed and bounced back. But here, more credit to Bhuvi than anyone else. Because in a cricketing sense they really write you off very quickly. But he continued to work with the opportunities he was given.More sponsorships are coming in golf but we haven’t had an international win in a long time…If you don’t give golfers the infrastructure, how will they improve? All the top golfers still can’t go play any golf course. Give them a better place to exercise and play. Then it’s about something else entirely.Today, if you tell a top golfer to go play, he has to pay wherever he has to play, even on this course. As administrators, we are very sorry for this limitation. The top 40 or 50 pros in the country should be able to play any of the golf courses.Who are your favorite cricketers to watch right now?Every young cricketer we can feel has a future for the next 10 years, 15 years. That kind of cricketers. We saw Rohit, Virat. We have seen Sachin before. And they made us so proud. (But) you’re always looking for the next hero. You always ask, ‘Who’s the next hero?’As a cricketer, I would like to see who is the young lad who has that chance and who can replace Virat Kohli. And play for 15 years. This is what my mind is looking for.About what? Vaibhav Sooryavanshi…?It’s too early. Does he have the ability? Yes. But there have been so many people in cricket who have come with so much ability and then disappeared.Check out Vinod Kambli. What shall we say to that? Vaibhav is 16 years old. Give him three more years, then we’ll talk. When his lifestyle changes, so does his thinking. Then we will know what it will look like in another two years. That is more important than looking at his performance.For someone with a classic bowling action like yours, how do you view someone unorthodox like Bumrah, who is still the mainstay of the Indian team?He is wonderful. Hats off to him. With this action, he proved people like us wrong. We never thought that he could survive with this action and bowling so well and become world leading bowler. Huge.You talked about Kambli. What other help does he need?Everyone can only help him if he helps himself. I don’t believe I’ll give him money. I’d rather pay his hospital or rehab costs. Why did he get into this situation? Kambli has himself to blame.Imran Khan is your good friend. Are you planning to send a new letter for his release?As cricketers, we have done it twice already. This is their government, their politics. I would like to see him properly cared for on a humanitarian basis. He was a great cricketer… five, six years older than me. We grew up playing it. I admire him.