One of the greatest allrounders of all time, Kapil Dev was a player who commanded respect from all corners. His distinctive and successful career continues to serve as a benchmark for many cricketers.?
Born today in 1959, former Indian captain Kapil Dev is still fondly remembered for his wealthy achievements. A career that lasted 16 years gave Indian cricket some of its most historic moments. We still dearly remember the sight of Kapil Dev holding the World Cup trophy aloft on the Lord's balcony in 1983, but one of India's most revered captains had many other remarkable highlights in his career.?
One of his most memorable moments was his 175 not out scored against Zimbabwe in the 1983 World Cup which saved India from the brink of elimination. It was incidentally the first-ever ODI century by an Indian.?
Kapil Dev is the only player to score 4000 runs and take 400 wickets in Test cricket. His 5248 runs included eight centuries, his 434 wickets were a world record at the time, and he captained India when they won the 1983 World Cup.?The Chandigarh-born native was not express pace, but he was one who also got the ball in the right channels and swinging. In a Test career that spanned 16 years, Kapil Dev would go on to become one of the greatest allrounders to grace the game of cricket.
He went past the world-record aggregate of Test wickets of Richard Hadlee. It was the stamina of the marathon runner that took him finally to 434 wickets.
In times when Indian cricket struggled to maintain a foothold in the game and were an average side, Kapil Dev was always the shining light. It was not just his wicket-taking ability, but also his contributions with the bat that made him an impact and important player that he was.
In 131 Tests, former Indian captain scored more than 5000 runs at an average of shade over 31, which is exceptional considering he was India's leading bowler and among the wickets consistently.?
He might not have been quite the bowling equal of Imran, Hadlee or Botham at his best, and his strike rate was less than four wickets per Test, but he was still outstanding in his accuracy and ability to swing the ball, usually away from right-handers. And he could hit a ball even more brilliantly than he bowled it, with uncomplicated flair.
At his peak, Kapil Dev bowling was the best sight in world cricket. His spirit still lives through the current crop of Indian bowlers.?