Kapil says Kohli's "not brave enough" statement is weak; urges Dhoni, Shastri to lift team morale
New Delhi, Nov 1: The legendary Kapil Dev feels Virat Kohli's admission of his team not being brave enough in the T20 World Cup loss to New Zealand is a "very weak statement" and head coach Ravi Shastri along with mentor Mahendra Singh Dhoni should step up to lift the players' morale.
India lost by eight wickets to the Black Caps in Dubai on Sunday night, severely jeopardising their chances of making the semifinals. The 62-year-old former captain said the big names will have to take responsibility for what is transpiring in the UAE.
"Obviously, it's a very weak statement from a player as big as Virat Kohli. We all know and we believe that he has the hunger and desire to win games for the team," he told 'ABP News'.
"But, if the body language of the team and thought process of the captain is like this, it's very difficult to lift the mood of the players inside the dressing room," he added referring to Kohli's statement that his teammates were not brave enough with the bat, ball or in their body language.
"I would urge my friend Shastri and Dhoni to lift the team in this scenario, it is Dhoni's job to talk to players and give them confidence," he added.
India now need to win big in all their remaining three group stage matches and hope for Afghanistan to upstage New Zealand for any chance of qualification.
Kapil said depending on other results is never a great situation to be in.
"If we have to go through based on somebody else's performance, then I don't like it. If you have to be in the semis, do it on your own merit. I don't think it is a good idea to place your hopes on anyone else," he said.
"...jab aap accha karte ho hum sab tareef karte hain. (But) some of the big names, the selectors will now have to take a hard look at them, whether the better performing youngsters should be considered. These big guys, if they don't make runs, they will face criticism," he said but did not take any names.
Winless so far, India will take on Afghanistan in their third group engagement on Wednesday.
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India & Israel elevate ties to special strategic partnership, vow to soon conclude free trade deal
Jerusalem (PTI): India and Israel on Thursday elevated their "time-tested" relationship to a special strategic partnership and agreed to soon firm up a "mutually beneficial" free trade deal even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi strongly backed the Gaza peace initiative, asserting that humanity must never become a victim of conflict.
Following talks between Modi and his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu, the two sides inked a plethora of agreements to expand cooperation in areas of trade, agriculture, energy, cyberspace and digital payment.
India and Israel also vowed to expand their already close defence partnership by working towards joint development and joint production of military hardware under the framework of the transfer of technologies.
In his media statement, Modi said India's security interest is linked to peace and stability in the Middle East, adding that New Delhi fully supports the Gaza Peace Initiative.
"India's stance is clear: humanity must never become a victim of conflict. A path to peace has been created through the Gaza Peace Plan. India has fully supported these efforts," he said.
"In the future as well, we will continue dialogue and cooperation with all countries," he said.
PM Modi landed in Israel on Wednesday on a two-day visit. It is his second visit to Israel in nine years.
In his remarks, the prime minister said India and Israel have a united view that there is no place for terrorism in the world and both sides stand shoulder-to-shoulder in countering terrorism and its supporters.
"Our relationship is founded on the strong bedrock of deep trust, shared democratic values, and human sensitivities. Our bond has stood the test of every trial of time," he said.
"Today, we have taken the historic decision to elevate our time-tested partnership to the status of a 'Special Strategic Partnership'," he said.
The prime minister also announced the establishment of an India-Israel critical and emerging technologies partnership to impart a new momentum for cooperation in areas of artificial intelligence, quantum, and critical minerals. "I am pleased that an agreement has been reached for the use of UPI in Israel," he said.
The prime minister, referring to the threat of terrorism, said India and Israel will continue to confront the menace unitedly.
"India and Israel are completely clear that there is no place for terrorism in the world. In any form, in any expression, terrorism cannot be accepted," he said.
"We have stood shoulder-to-shoulder in opposing terrorism and its supporters, and we will continue to do so," he added.
India and Israel also discussed the implementation of the India-Middle East Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) and cooperation under the framework of I2U2 (India-Israel-UAE-USA).
