Dev believes it is time for Gambhir and Sehwag to start making strong opening partnerships once again

Former India captain Kapil Dev has announced that the national team should be extremely worried about opening pair Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag’s lack of form over the past couple of months.

Dev noted that is was extremely important for them to bounce back in time for the upcoming series at home against England.

“Of course, it is a cause of worry if players of that calibre don’t get runs. They have big reputations and when you have such big reputations then there is a case for you to defend that, they are big players and it is important for them to score runs not only for the team but also for themselves otherwise there will be worrying signs,” Dev said.

Gambhir and Sehwag both had a dismal showing during the International Cricket Council (ICC) World Twenty20, but still remain the opening pair for the series at home against England and Australia.

When asked if he believed iconic Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar should retire, Dev said: “Bade player ke baare mein na hi baat karein to accha hai (It is better not to talk about the decisions of big players), he had recently given an interview and he has said what he had to say.”

Talking about current captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Dev stated that there was too much being expected out a man who leads India in all three formats of the game.

“You can’t expect him to win all the time. He has given you World Cup, World T20, won Test matches, been number one in ICC rankings, so you can’t expect him to win everytime,” Dev said.

However, when asked if India should have a different captain for each of the formats, Dev said: “If you have someone who is good enough to lead in all three formats, why do you need separate captains. But is there anyone who can do it? Do we have options for three formats? There are certain things that Australia does and we tend to follow that but when we do certain things, we are criticised.”

India’s selection committee has been in the spotlight as of late since many cricket pundits have been criticising the decisions they have made, especially in regards to the players that are picked for matches.

But, Dev defended the selection committee, saying: “Selectors can’t please everyone but I am ok if they are working for the benefit of Indian cricket. It’s an administrative decision to appoint a selection committee and I would like to let them do their job.”

Dev also noted that he would not be returning as Director of the National Cricket Academy, and said: “It’s time for me to leave.”