Kapil Dev urged BCCI to make top players play more domestic multi-day cricket
He blamed India’s struggles against spin partly on excessive white-ball cricket
Kapil also called for better workload management of India’s fast bowlers
India’s struggles against spin bowling have become one of the biggest talking points around the Test team, and legendary all-rounder Kapil Dev believes the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) needs to take a stronger stance to address the problem.
The former India captain has pointed towards a lack of domestic cricket among established players as one of the major reasons behind the team’s decline against spin. His comments come at a crucial stage for Indian cricket, with the team preparing for a two-match Test series against Sri Lanka beginning on August 15 in Galle.
India’s problems against turning deliveries have become particularly evident in recent home Test campaigns. The team suffered a 3-0 series defeat against New Zealand before being beaten 2-0 by South Africa, exposing weaknesses that were once considered unusual for an Indian batting line-up. Kapil believes regular exposure to multi-day domestic cricket could help the country’s leading batters rediscover the skills required to succeed against spin.
Kapil Dev Wants BCCI To Take Strong Action
Kapil believes the BCCI should ensure that its leading players do not completely stay away from domestic red-ball cricket.
“Playing domestic cricket is very important. The reason why Indian team struggles against spin is because the top players don't play enough domestic cricket. That's where the BCCI should put its foot down and make everyone play multi-day matches,” Kapil said at the launch event of the inaugural JITO Premier League.
The 1983 World Cup-winning captain also feels that domestic cricket can benefit younger players by allowing them to share the dressing room and compete alongside established international stars.
“The other aspect is that the younger generation will get to learn from the top players,” he added.
Kapil also connected India’s struggles to the modern cricket calendar, which is dominated by white-ball cricket. He believes the demands of T20s and ODIs are different from those of Test cricket, particularly when batters have to spend long periods at the crease against quality spin.
“In recent times, India have not been the best against spin bowling. They play too many T20s and ODIs. Test matches are a different ball game. I hope they can put their heads together,” he said.
Kapil Raises Concern Over Fast-Bowling Workload
Kapil did not restrict his concerns to India’s batting. He also highlighted the growing workload on fast bowlers, urging the BCCI to monitor how much cricket pacers are being asked to play.
“One should know about one's own body. There is too much T20 cricket happening, so you have to be careful about the toll it takes on the body,” he said.
“Our body is actually not tuned to being a fast bowler. Our body is more tuned to being a batter. The BCCI should look into how much workload can be given to fast bowlers,” Kapil added.
His comments come as India head into the Sri Lanka Tests without Jasprit Bumrah, who has been ruled out of the series because of a knee injury. Uncapped Jammu and Kashmir pacer Auqib Nabi was subsequently added to the squad as his replacement.
With Galle traditionally capable of assisting spin, India’s ability to counter turning deliveries will once again come under scrutiny. Kapil’s call for greater domestic red-ball exposure could therefore become an important part of the conversation around India’s Test cricket revival.
