Kapil
Dev was the greatest pace bowler India has produced, and their greatest
fast-bowling allrounder. If he had played at any other time - not when
Imran Khan, Ian Botham and Richard Hadlee were contemporaries - he would
surely have been recognised as the best allrounder in the world. In
any case he did enough to be voted India's Cricketer of the Century
during 2002. His greatest feats were to lead India almost jauntily,
and by his allround example, to the 1983 World Cup, and to take the
world-record aggregate of Test wickets from Hadlee. It was the stamina
of the marathon runner that took him finally to 431 wickets and only
a yard beyond. 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.
Kapil's most memorable knock was an unbeaten 175 in the 1983 World
Cup against Zimbabwe at Tunbridge Wells in England, where he rescued
India from 17 for five to 266 in 60 overs.
Kapil has claimed 434 Test and 253 One-day wickets in 15 years. He
surpassed Richard Hadlee of New Zealand to become the world's highest
wicket taker. Walsh of West Indies recently beat him to the world record.
Ever since he broke on the cricketing scene in 1978 as a young fast
bowler, Kapil Dev Ramlal Nikhanj has become a household name in Indian
cricket. Kapil Dev was the first genuine fast bowler on Indian soil
and toiled hard under conditions not very conducive for his type of
bowling to become the highest wicket taker in the world.
West Indian war horse Courtney Walsh recently surpassed Kapil's great
effort of 434 Test wickets. Though Kapil reached the pinnacle of glory
in Test cricket, his high water mark was winning the World Cup in 1983.
He was named as the Wisden "Cricketer of the Year" in 1983.
Kapil began his career at Pakistan under the captaincy of Bishen Singh
Bedi in 1978. He never looked back, emerging as the strike bowler for
India.
Kapil made his Test and Limited Overs International (LOI) debuts in
Pakistan during India's tours of 1978-79. Both his debuts were not very
impressive in terms of wickets taken.
The tall and well-built Haryana 'Jat' showed that he had the potential
to develop into a world-beater. The innings against Zimbabwe during
the 1983 World Cup stands out for his ability to win matches single-handedly.
With India tottering at 17 for five, the country's chances of making
further progress in the championship looked very bleak. But Kapil scored
a marvelous unbeaten 175 (a record which stood for a long time) to take
India through to World Cup triumph.
Kapil
Dev was the greatest pace bowler India has produced, and their greatest
fast-bowling allrounder. If he had played at any other time - not when
Imran Khan, Ian Botham and Richard Hadlee were contemporaries - he would
surely have been recognised as the best allrounder in the world. In
any case he did enough to be voted India's Cricketer of the Century
during 2002. His greatest feats were to lead India almost jauntily,
and by his allround example, to the 1983 World Cup, and to take the
world-record aggregate of Test wickets from Hadlee. It was the stamina
of the marathon runner that took him finally to 431 wickets and only
a yard beyond. 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.