Bangalore, March 30: Veteran leg-spinner Anil Kumble on Friday deplored attempts to make Rahul Dravid "a scapegoat" for India`s debacle in the World Cup and warned against any
drastic action.
At a press conference where he announced his retirement from one-day cricket two days after returning from the Caribbean along with the rest of team, Kumble maintained that
"no emotional decisions" should be taken in the aftermath of the debacle.
"It is unfortunate that Dravid is being made a scapegoat. Captaincy is a hard job. It`s a team loss. People think that players are not disappointed after losing a match. But players
and their family really feel hurt and disappointed," he said.
"We need not take any drastic steps. I feel that the world cup squad which went to Caribbean was the best that was selected. Unfortunately, it did not go our way," he added.
Kumble said the batting did not live up to expectations and a lot of things needed to discussed about the team`s poor performance in the mega event.
"It was one of the bad starts in the World Cup. Our batting did not live up to expectations. I don`t think we need any drastic changes in the team. A lot of things need to be discussed. I am sure we will come up stronger after this World Cup defeat," the 37-year-old spinner said.
Asked about the previous world cups he had played, Kumble said, "We had a good chance in the 1996 World Cup. In 1999 we lost to Zimbabwe which cost us the World Cup. In 2003, it was a great opportunity and we reached the final but lost to Australia.
Bureau Report
