'A Lot More Needs To Be Done'

Amidst the euphoria over the stunning victory in theNatwest Trophy final, former skipper Kapil Dev said the bowlers needed to bemore mature and fielding honed if India was to regain the World Cup.

"I think the bowlers lack maturity. May be theywill mature in the coming days. Moreoever, they need a lot of assistance fromthe fielders who also need to improve," Kapil Dev told reporters in Kolkata.

"There are hundreds of other areas in which theside needs improvement. We are all thrilled and happy with the victory at Lord'son Saturday. But the problem is that expectations have sky-rocketted,"Kapil, who led India to the title in the 1983 World Cup, said.

He also expressed apprehension over players' burnoutahead of the World Cup because of a gruelling schedule. "I am worried. Butit is up to the administrators to decide how much cricket the team shouldplay".

The former all-rounder, however, lavished praise on thecurrent side saying that it had five or six players who could single-handedlyfashion a win.

"The good thing is that they don't have to dependon one player," he said.

The 43-year-old Kapil said the top batting order hadplayed extremely well in the Natwest Trophy and gave credit for the Lord'svictory to the youngsters.

Asked whether he thought the Indians were playing as awell-knit team, Kapil said "I think so, not because they won the Natwest Trophy,but because they reached the finals of nine tournaments."

Kapil, who answered a wide range of questions, hopedthe Indians would be able to retain their energy level till the World Cup earlynext year.

"They have a lot of cricket commitments. Earlier,they were fizzling out in the finals of major tournaments. Now at last they havefound their bearings in vital matches," he said. "They are winning,they must keep up the spirit."

Kapil, however, refused to compare the present crop ofplayers with the world-conquering 1983 side, saying "such comparisons aredifficult. I leave it to the media". On whether he preferred specialists tobits-and-pieces players in one-day teams, he said "If bits and piecesplayers can win matches, then that's good. But the question is whether they cando so. We must understand that winning is most important".

Kapil took exception to skipper Saurav Ganguly takingoff his shirt after the incredible victory, saying captains should learn to keeptheir emotions under control.

"A captain getting carried away is quite normal,but then he should also know how to show his emotions," he said. "Iwas taken aback when he took off his shirt, though I know it was an emotionaloutburst.".

Explaining that his reaction had nothing to do with the'sanctity' of Lord's, Kapil said "Had such an act been done by a youngster,I wouldn't have minded. But Ganguly is after all the skipper."

He hastened to add that cricket had changed a lot sincehis playing days. "Maybe, twenty years from now nobody would bother aboutsuch things".

Kapil praised Ganguly's leadership saying that he likedthe "Prince of Kolkata's" aggression on the field. "He giveshundred per cent on the field and shows his emotion and goes all out for avictory."

The former all rounder pointed out Ganguly's fieldingwas not up to the mark. "However, he has so many good qualities that thisparticular weakness is not very vital."

PTI