On Thursday, the legendary Indian cricketer, Kapil Dev completely neglected Shoaib Akhtar’s idea of a made-for-television three-match ODI series between India and Pakistan to raise funds for the COVID-19 pandemic, saying “India doesn’t need the money”. He also feels that a cricket match is not worth risking lives for. Speaking to PTI, Akhtar on Wednesday proposed a closed-door series to jointly raise funds to fight the deadly virus both in India and Pakistan. 

Describing his point of view, Kapil said, “He is entitled to his opinion but we don’t need to raise the money. For us, what is important right now is how our authorities work together to deal with this crisis. 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. The situation is unlikely to get normal anytime soon and organizing a cricket game means putting our cricketers at risk which we don’t need to.”

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The world-cup winning skipper said cricket should not even matter for at least the next six months. He feels even the series get underway, the money made from it, will not be worth the risk. 

As an Indian, KapilDev feels proud that his country has been helping the developed nation like the United States. President Donald Trump has thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for helping the United States with the supply of hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malarial drug being touted as a potential cure for COVID-19 patients.

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Talking about the same, Kapil said, “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 that gives more and more rather than taking from others. 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 home for some time). There is nothing bigger than life at the moment and that is what we need to save.”