Former India captain Kapil Dev says he will never accept an offer to coach a foreign team and if ever he wants to do that job, it will only be for his home country.
Talking at a press meet to announce the induction of former India sprinter Ashwini Nachappa as a member of the Hero Indian Sports Academy, the legendary all-rounder said he had never ever aspired to coach a foreign team.
"If I ever want to do (coaching), I will only do it for my country," Kapil Dev said. "I am a passionate person. I feel that way. I am not saying that those who are serving other countries are not passionate. Every individual is different".
On Sourav Ganguly's poor run with the bat, he said the Indian captain should be given some more time to deliver.
"Give him time. It will be unfair if we start raising doubts about his work. Give him three months (or) six months. At the moment, I will like to support him. The entire Board has supported him. We should support him. Result (Ganguly coming good with the bat or not) is the best answer".
Asked about the new ICC rules regarding one-day internationals, he said if those were aimed at making the game more enjoyable and spectator-friendly, then it was a welcome move.
However, Kapil Dev cautioned against going in for too many experiments, saying these could kill the game.
On his take on having a bowling coach for India, he said there was nothing wrong in having one. "BCCI is rich and does not face a dearth of funds," he said, but added "too many cooks can spoil the food".
Kapil Dev also wanted achievers in other sports to be treated on par with cricketers, saying they need a better deal from the public and media.
Cricket has got everything going for it in India in terms of organisation, money and publicity. Deserving achievers in other sports need far more media spotlight and a pat on the back, he said.
HISA, of which he is the founder Chairman, was unhappy about the poor budget allocation for sports, he said. India's annual sports budget is equivalent to what the top 10 American sportspersons spend in a year, said the former all-rounder.
"We do neglect other sports", Kapil said. "The media is partly responsible".
Meanwhile, Ashwini, an Asian Track and Field silver medallist, became the fifth sportswoman to become a member of HISA, which is into promoting sports and sports talent, after Diana Eduljee, Bachendri Pal, Elisa Nelson and P T Usha.
Ashwini stressed on making sports a part of the education system and encourage students to take up a career in sports.
Otherwise, India would continue to lack quality sportspersons, she said.
