Kapil Dev Reacts to India’s Home Test Defeats, Calls for Better Player Management

A statement by legendary all-rounder and former captain of the Indian side which won the World Cup in 1983, Kapil Dev, has made headlines on the importance of the head coach of the Indian cricket team, maintaining that the current era has made the handling of players more essential than the coach himself. This has come at a time when the appointment or retention of the current head coach, Gautam Gambhir, has been questioned after the home test series defeat by South Africa.

India was subjected to a clean sweep in the Test series in November. It was India's second home series loss in a year. The first was a series loss to New Zealand in 2024. They lost that series by a 0-3 margin. Speaking at the ICC Centenary Session of the Indian Chamber of Commerce, Kapil Dev questioned the current definition of the word coach.

Kapil Dev said, "These days the word 'coach' has become too common. You can't call Gautam Gambhir a coach; he can be a team manager. A coach is someone I learned from in school and college. They taught me techniques. Today's players need to be managed."

He further said that in current cricket, it's simply not possible for one person to coach all the players. Kapil said, "How can you coach a leg-spinner or a wicketkeeper? How can Gautam Gambhir coach everyone? The real need is management. A manager's job is to give players confidence, to make them feel that 'you can do it.' When you're a manager, young players look up to you and take confidence from you."

The former captain also shared his thoughts on his captaincy days, explaining that he believed in spending more time with players struggling with poor form. He said, "I don't need to have dinner or drinks with a player who is playing well or has scored a century. I preferred to sit with players who weren't performing well. It's important to give them confidence. A captain's role isn't just about their own performance, but also about taking the entire team along."

Kapil Dev also said that if Sunil Gavaskar were playing today, he would have been the best batsman in T20 cricket. He said, "It's easier for players with a strong defense to attack. Defense is the most difficult thing."