NEW DELHI, April 9: The legendary Kapil Dev on Thursday slammed Shoaib Akhtar�s idea of a made-for-television three-match ODI series between India and Pakistan to raise funds for the COVID-19 pandemic, saying �India doesn�t need the money� and it is not worth risking lives for a cricket match.
Speaking to PTI, Akhtar on Wednesday proposed a closed-door series to jointly raise funds to fight the deadly virus both in India and Pakistan. Dev said the proposal is not feasible.
�He is entitled to his opinion but we don�t need to raise the money. We have enough. For us, what is important right now is that how our authorities work together to deal with this crisis. I am still seeing a lot of blame game on television from the politicians and that needs to stop,� Dev said.
�Anyway, the BCCI has donated a hefty amount (Rs 51 crore) for the cause and is in a position to donate much more if the need arises. It doesn�t need to raise funds.
�The situation is unlikely to get normal any time soon and organising a cricket game means putting our cricketers at risk which we don�t need to,� said the World Cup-winning former captain.
Dev said cricket should not even matter for at least the next six months.
�It is just not worth the risk. And how much money can you make from three games? In my view, you can�t even think of cricket for the next five to six months,� he said. � PTI
