In a robust reply to former captain Kapil Dev's remarks about the Indian team becoming arrogant due to the influence of money, star India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja brushed aside the criticism and said such comments crop up when a team loses a match.
In a recent interview with The Week magazine, Kapil commented that the current bunch of Indian cricketers seem to have become arrogant as they seem to think they know everything.
"Sometimes, when too much money comes, arrogance comes. These cricketers, they feel they know everything,” Kapil had said.
Speaking to reporters ahead of the crucial third ODI against West Indies in Trinidad, Jadeja made it clear that the team is fully committed to securing victories for India, emphasising that there are no personal agendas among them.
"Everyone has their own opinion. It’s nothing like that. Everybody is enjoying their game and working hard. Players are not taking their place in the team for granted. Whenever they are getting chances, they are giving their 100 per cent and trying to win games for India," Jadeja said.
"Such comments generally come when the Indian team lost a match. Nobody is arrogant. Everybody is representing India. We are working hard and playing for the country. There is no personal agenda,” he added.
The star all-rounder also defended coach Rahul Dravid’s decision to experiment excessively with the team combination in the ongoing ODI series against West Indies
After rejigging their batting line-up in the first ODI, India continued their experimentation as they rested Rohit and Kohli for the second ODI and the move backfired as the Caribbean team cruised to a six-wicket triumph that squared the series at 1-1 on Saturday.
"This is the series before Asia Cup and World Cup, where we can experiment, we can try out new combinations. Once we will go to play Asia Cup and World Cup, we won’t be able to experiment with anything. It’s a good thing that we will get the idea about what is team’s balance, strengths and weaknesses," Jadeja told reporters.
The 34-year-old further said that the team management already has a clear idea of the team combination that will take the field in the Asia Cup.
"Captain and team management know what combination they are going to play. There is no confusion at all. We didn’t lose the match because of the experiments, sometimes the condition also matters. In my opinion, one loss is not going to create any confusion or doubt. We have already decided what is going to be the combination in the Asia Cup," said Jadeja.
With the series currently tied 1-1, the deciding ODI of the three-match series will be played at the Brian Lara Stadium here on August 1.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)