Indian
skipper Virat Kohli said his side “were not brave enough” after the crushing eight-wicket
loss to New Zealand in the T20 World Cup on Sunday, that left their hopes of qualifying
for the semi-finals hanging by a thread. Following the loss – the second in as
many matches after the 10-wicket defeat against Pakistan – Kohli said, “Quite
bizarre. To be very honest and brutal up front, I don’t think we were brave
enough with bat or ball”.

The comment did not go down well with India’s
World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev, who said he expected more from a player of Kohli’s
stature.

“Obviously, it’s a very weak statement from
a player of Virat Kohli’s stature. We all know that he has the hunger and
desire to win games for the team,” the 1983 World Cup-winning captain said during
a discussion on ABP News. “But, if the body language of the team and thought
process of the captain is not up to the mark, it’s very difficult to lift the
mood of the players inside the dressing room.”

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The 62-year-old further said that the criticisms
the team is currently facing are justified, and that the players need to learn
to cope with them. He also urged the likes of head coach Ravi Shashtri and mentor
Mahendra Singh Dhoni to use their experience to guide the team out of the slump.

India still have a slim chance of making it
to the semi-finals of the showpiece event, although qualification is no longer
in their own hands. The Men in Blue have to win all their remaining games while
also hope that the other results go their way.

India play Afghanistan, Namibia and
Scotland in the Super 12 Group 2, where they are currently pointless and occupy
the fifth spot. Babar Azam’s Pakistan are top of the table with three wins from
three, with Afghanistan second with two wins and a loss.

The win on Sunday took the Blackcaps to
third, while Namibia occupy the fourth spot, with one win and a loss. Scotland
are bottom of the standings with two losses from two and a worse net run rate than India.