Former India cricketer Yograj Singh, father of 2011 World Cup hero Yuvraj Singh and known for his candid takes, has urged legendary all-rounder Kapil Dev to take a more active role in grooming India’s next generation of cricketers. Speaking to IANS, Yograj Singh ony recalled his decades-long bond with Kapil, describing the 1983 World Cup-winning captain as not only a childhood friend but also one of the most fearless players the game has ever seen.
“Kapil Dev was my childhood friend, and he was a truly great cricketer. Players like him are not born every day. The way I know him, not even his own family would know him, because we spent so much time together,” he said.
Highlighting Kapil’s cricketing intellect, Yograj stressed that few possess such a complete understanding of the game. “He knows how to bowl inside, how to bowl outside – everything. I believe every great cricketer should help produce at least one fast bowler or one international player for India. That alone would be like planting a tree in their name,” he explained.
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Yograj Singh further emphasized the larger responsibility that comes with greatness. “If you give to the nation, even if you go hungry yourself but feed someone else, then God opens treasures for you,” he noted, appealing to all ex-cricketers to contribute to Indian cricket’s growth.
“It shouldn’t just be Kapil Dev. Every cricketer should take this responsibility. If each of them produces even a single player for India, then by God’s grace, the country will have so many great cricketers that no team will be able to defeat India in the coming years,” he added.
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Yograj also reignited a sensitive debate, pointing to old match-fixing controversies. He questioned why certain files, once implicating names like Kapil Dev and Mohammad Azharuddin, were shut down without reopening, suggesting the issue still demands clarity.
