Legendary all-rounder Kapil Dev said on Tuesday that incumbent skipper Virat Kohli could take Indian cricket to even greater heights.
Speaking at the inaugural Jagmohan Dalmiya Lecture here, Kapil said . “Virat, you have the responsibility of taking Indian cricket forward. You are like Dalmiya, you can change things,” said Kapil.
He also delivered a gentle reminder to the side. “I want to tell the present team that we respected all former cricketers,” Kapil said.
Hailing former BCCI and ICC chief Dalmiya’s extraordinary skills an an administrator, Kapil said: “If cricketers are enjoying themselves today, it’s thanks to this man. In the last 50 years, he was the best administrator in all sports.
“Dalmiya understood that cricketers have careers of up to 10 or 15 years, and need money.”
Kapil also spoke of how Dalmiya broke the barriers between the BCCI and the players.
Sri Lanka Cricket president Thilanga Sumathipala recalled how Dalmiya tackled difficult situations leading up to the 1996 World Cup, and made things easier for the terrorism-hit island nation to organise the mega event despite boycotts by some countries.
“Negotiation and management... is an art. He was born with leadership skills and had a good understanding (of situations),” said Sumathipala. The SLC chief also recalled how Dalmiya helped Muttiah Muralitharan get over the chucking controversy.
He credited Dalmiya with devising events to bring money into the ICC, and said Dalmiya showed how Asian countries could do wonders by staying united and having a common objective.
“Jaggu was an unparalleled sports administrator... We could not get enough out of him,” said Sumathipala.