If the performance is not there, don’t expect people to stay quiet: Kapil Dev

Former Indian veteran all-rounder Kapil Dev, who led the nation to their first-ever Cricket World Cup in 1983, has expressed his concerns regarding Virat Kohli's form. 

The former Indian captain has not been at his best for a while now, and his performances have attracted much criticism from fans, pundits and former cricketers. 

The country's first World Cup-winning captain, Kapil Dev, has stated that critics are unlikely to keep quiet if a player like Kohli is not scoring enough runs. 

"I haven't played cricket as much as Virat Kohli. But sometimes, you may not have played enough cricket, but you can look to figure things out. Either that, or we just cannot criticise such great players. We have played cricket, and we understand the game, and after that, they have to improve their thought process, not ours. If you prove us wrong, we will like it. If you don't score runs, we feel there is some fault. We just see one thing, and that's your performance. And if the performance is not there. Don't expect people to stay quiet. Your bat and your performance should speak, nothing else", Kapil Dev said to UnCut. 

Adding to the statement, Kapil Dev also highlighted Kohli's dry run without a century. The last time Virat struck an international century was in November 2019. Since then, the Indian star has struggled to get going. 

"It pains me to see such a big player go through this a long gap (with regards to a century). He is like a hero to us. We never thought we would witness a player whom we can compare to Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Sunil Gavaskar, and Virender Sehwag. But then they came and forced us to compare, and now since he hasn't for the last two years, it is bothering me and all of us", stated Kapil Dev. 

After a decent stint in the IPL 2022, Virat Kohli was rested for the recently concluded T20I series against South Africa, which ended in a draw 2-2. 

A rejuvenated Kohli will now be expected to return for the upcoming Test against England. However, it remains to be seen whether he can silence his critics with the bat in the Edgbaston Test, which begins on the 1st of July. 

As per sources, Kohli could also be a part of the three-day test match against Leicestershire, which is scheduled to begin on Thursday.