India must win convincingly: Kapil

Former India captain and coach Kapil Dev says Rahul Dravid's team must aim to win the West Indies series convincingly.

"The last time we were in the West Indies we did well, but we did not play well in the last Test and lost the series. But this team looks confident and can do well," Kapil told reporters on Tuesday, at the unveiling function of medals for the Rajiv Gandhi Mini-Olympics in Mumbai.

The legendary all-rounder believes that the current West Indies team is not as strong as their predecessors of the 1980s.

"The West Indies team in the eighties was like the Australian team of today, winning everything. But this West Indies side is quite a weak side. India should try and win the series, because winning a series abroad is beautiful," he said.

He also expressed hope that ace batsman Sachin Tendulkar, currently recuperating after shoulder surgery, would be fit for the Test series.

"I just hope that Tendulkar can play in this tour. He is a very talented batsman and served the country for such a long time. He is struggling a bit now with his injuries and I wish him good luck. May he recover from his injury soon and continue to entertain us with his batting," Kapil added.

The 47-year-old also bemoaned that there is too much cricket being played.

"The burnout issue is a personal thing. If the player feels that he is burnt out, then he should take a rest. After all, nobody can force you to play," he added.

Former India hockey ace Dhanraj Pillay, who was also present at the occasion, declared that he is always available to play for India.

"As long as I am fit, I am ready to play for the country. I have done well recently in all domestic tournaments that I have played, so you can judge me on that," he said.

He attributed the Indian hockey team's poor showing in the last few years to the constant chopping of players and coaches.

"Hopefully, with [Vasudevan] Bhaskaran and Harinder [Singh] in charge of the team, we will do well. Under Bhaskaran we have always done well and hope we can perform well in the Azlan Shah and World Cup," the former center-forward added.