Kapil Dev returns to the Kotla

Kapil Dev Nikhanj just cannot keep away from the game.

Despite teary avowals and firm pronouncements to never involve himself in cricket again, Kapil Dev was seen at Delhi's Ferozeshah Kotla ground on Tuesday, addressing young hopefuls at a conditioning camp.

"I never said I wouldn't help a cricketer if he approaches me," he said. "If I can teach cricket overseas, why wouldn't I do so in my own country?" he asked, referring to his visit to Northern Ireland on behalf of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation.

The former Indian coach, requested for help by left-arm seamer Ashish Nehra, made some technical adjustments in his ward's action on Saturday before reluctantly agreeing to appear at the Kotla for another session. "I couldn't have made suggestions without watching him in action," he said.

That session never materialised as Kapil Dev's time was hijacked by the media, Bishan Singh Bedi, and a band of young cricketers, all armed with questions for the great allrounder. Bedi, Kapil Dev's first captain in international cricket, acted as spokesperson for the youngsters, phrasing their questions and explaining Kapil Dev's answers.

Bedi's presence provided Kapil Dev with his most inspiring anecdotes and advice. Hard work, he said, was everything. "We were always told that Bedi used to bowl alone, at a single wicket. We would wonder if the Sardar had gone mad. But that was the kind of commitment we all strove to achieve in our playing days," said Kapil Dev.

He also used Sunil Gavaskar's example to demonstrate the enormous difference that can be made by supplementing skill with sweat, citing that factor as instrumental in transforming Gavaskar into a champion batsman. "If you begin to drink alone, you come to be known as an alcoholic. But if you practice alone, you become a champion," said Kapil Dev, further illustrating his point.

Technical advice also flowed freely. To the medium-pacers among the youngsters in particular, Kapil Dev said "Learn to bowl to your strength and to your field." He emphasised the importance of fitness and off-season training, and then promptly proceeded to put words into action by bowling to a few of the young batsmen in the nets.

Nehra, for the evening, was sidelined, but Kapil Dev enjoyed the time spent at the Kotla. "How can I forget my roots? It would have been an insult to my association with the game if I had refused to help someone sort his problems out. I reaped so much from this ground," he said.

Coaching may still stir his heart, but Kapil Dev no longer bears animosity for being forced out of his position of Indian team coach. "I was bitter when I left the job," he said. "But not now."