The legendary Kapil Dev on Friday backed India to win the Asia Cup but stressed on collective efforts taking precedence over individual brilliance ahead of the high-voltage clash against Pakistan in Dubai.
The traditional rivals will face off on Sunday in what will be the first match between the two sides since the escalation of the border conflict in May.
"I am backing the Indian team. India will play as a team and return home (with the trophy). This is my wish and I know that the kind of cricket they are playing they will return home victorious," said Kapil, when asked on the sidelines of a golf event on who he felt would provide the 'X-factor' for India in the blockbuster outing.
He said it was immaterial discussing the players when the entire focus should be on team effort.
"Only talk about India as a team, we should not talk about individuals, it's a collective, because when a team goes (on an assignment), we should speak about it and not individuals.
"Yes, if someone plays well, then that performance, that individual will be in front of everyone. I do not have to say anything (else)." Kapil, who is the president of the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI), said that people should not be preoccupied with who is, or should be, the captain of the side when questioned whether Test skipper Shubman Gill could be given the responsibility to lead India in all three formats of the game in the near future.
"Can I say something very simple. Are they playing for India? (Because) that's much bigger. It's not a matter of captaincy. You are representing the country (and) that is more important.
"People see who is the captain and who is not, I see that all of them are representing the country. That's the bottom line," said Kapil.
He also said that stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have had glorious careers but a new generation of players is now keen to take over.
"They (Virat and Rohit) had their time and they gave a very good account of themselves, they played really well for India. A new generation has taken over, they have to prove (now)," said Kapil.
On Thursday, Kapil had urged the Indian players to remain focussed on performance and not get distracted by external factors.
"The Indian players should stay focused solely on the game. They have a good team and must win," Kapil had said.
"Players should concentrate only on their performance and not get distracted by anything else. Just go and win. The government will do its job, and the players should do theirs," the 66-year-old had said.
In the wake of the Pahalgam attack, the Indian government has formulated a policy under which the country would not have any bilateral sporting ties with Pakistan but won't stop the Indian teams from competing against their neighbours in multilateral events.
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