NEW DELHI: Legendary cricketer Kapil Dev on Thursday expressed his anguish over the death of 11 fans during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s IPL victory celebrations, saying “lives are more important than celebration” and urging everyone to take proper precautions in the future.On Wednesday, nearly two and a half lakh people gathered near the M Chinnaswamy Stadium to catch a glimpse of their cricketing heroes. However, the resulting chaos led to a stampede that claimed 11 lives and left several others injured.“I feel very bad about that. I think we have to learn from each other. Next time something like this (victory parade) happens, people should be more conscious. People do make a mistake,” Kapil told PTI.
The 1983 World Cup-winning captain also urged teams and organisers to act responsibly while planning events of such scale.“Mistake should not be to that scale where you are having fun and you lose lives. In the future, if any team wins, keep it calm. Lives are more important than celebration. Let’s put it that way,” he added.Looking ahead, Kapil hoped that India would emerge victorious during the upcoming five-match Test tour of England.“They are a good side. Cricket is a team game and if they play as a team then they will get good results. Whether it is Shubman Gill or Jasprit Bumrah… it is not about individuals, play as a team. That’s more important. Good luck to them, and hope they come back victorious,” he said.
Now away from competitive cricket, Kapil revealed he has found a new sporting passion in golf — both as a player and an administrator.“I think cricket can be played only up to a certain age, you know, certain sports like tennis, football, you can’t play at the age of 50 or 60. But when I started playing golf, I felt that one can play, as long as you want. And that’s wonderful, as a sportsman, if you keep on playing something.“Golf has given me that kick, that I can compete with myself,” said the 66-year-old, who also serves as the president of the Professional Golf Tour of India.
