On Thursday, the legendary Indian cricketer, Kapil Dev, slammed Shoaib Akhtar’s idea of Made-For-TV 3 match One Day International (ODI) series between India and Pakistan to raise funds to fight against the COVID-19 pandemic which the whole world is fighting including these two nations.
Kavil Dev said, “India doesn’t need the money,” and risking lives for cricket matches is not worth it.
Speaking to a leading news agency in India, On Wednesday, Akhtar proposed that ca closed door 3 match series to jointly raise funds to combat the pandemic in both the countries. However, Dev snubbed the proposal saying it is not feasible, he says, “He is entitled to his opinion but we don’t need to raise the money. We have enough. For us, what is important right now is how our authorities work together to deal with this crisis. I am still seeing a lot of blame game on television from the politicians and that needs to stop,”.
Dev under whose captaincy India won its 1st ICC Cricket World Cup said, “Anyway, the BCCI has donated a hefty amount (Rs 51 crore) for the cause and is in a position to donate much more if the need arises. It doesn’t need to raise funds”. He added that “the situation is unlikely to get normal anytime soon and organising a cricket game means putting our cricketers at risk which we don’t need to,”.
Dev says that for at least 6 months, cricket should not even matter to people. He added, “It is just not worth the risk. And how much money can you make from three games? In my view, you can’t even think of cricket for the next five to six months,”.
Also Read: Shoaib Akhtar’s Proposes An ODI Series Between India And Pakistan To Raise Funds
Dev Said that as of now all the attention and resources should be on saving lives and taking care of the underprivileged who are struggling to even meet daily requirements due to the lockdown which has been imposed across India to contain the spread of the novel Coronavirus.
Dev said, “Cricket will resume when things get normal. The game can’t be bigger than the country. The pressing issue is to look after the poor, the hospital workers, the police and all other people who are on the frontline of this war,”.
Dev says that as Indian he feels immense proud in his country as it is in a position to help other nations like Brazil, the United States, Nepal, Bhutan and even Bangladesh. The US President, Donald Trump thanked the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for releasing the order of Hydroxychloroquine, an anti-Malaria drug which is touted as a potential cure for the Coronavirus.
Dev said that “helping others is in our culture and I feel proud about that. We should not seek credit after helping others. We should strive to become a nation which gives more and more rather than taking from others,”.
Currently, Dev is at his house and is practising social distancing.
When he was asked what he thinks of the current situation he said, “Nelson Mandela stayed in a tiny cell for 27 years. Compared to that, we are in a privileged position (that we just have to stay at our homes for some time)” and added that “there is nothing bigger than life at the moment and that is what we need to save”.
