Kapil Dev Ramlal Nikhanj (Pronunciation:
">əpiːl deːʋ born 6 January 1959) is an Indian former cricketer. He was a
fast-medium bowler and a hard-hitting
middle-order batsman, and was named by ''
Wisden'' as the Indian Cricketer of the Century in 2002.
Dev captained the
Indian cricket team
The India men's national cricket team, also known as Team India or the Men in Blue, represents India in men's international cricket. It is governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), and is a Full Member of the International ...
that won the
1983 Cricket World Cup
The 1983 Cricket World Cup (officially the Prudential Cup '83) was the 3rd edition of the Cricket World Cup tournament. It was held from 9 to 25 June 1983 in England and Wales and was won by India. Eight countries participated in the event. ...
, and in the process became the first Indian captain to win the Cricket World Cup, and is still the youngest captain (at the age of 24) to win the World Cup for any team. He retired in 1994, at the times of holding the world record for the highest number of wickets taken in
Test cricket
Test cricket is a form of first-class cricket played at international level between teams representing full member countries of the International Cricket Council (ICC). A match consists of four innings (two per team) and is scheduled to last f ...
, a record subsequently broken by
Courtney Walsh in 2000. At the time, he was also India's highest wicket-taker in both major forms of cricket, Tests and
ODIs. He is the first player to take 200 ODI wickets. He is the only player in the history of cricket to have taken more than 400 wickets (434 wickets) and scored more than 5,000 runs in Tests, making him one of the greatest
all-rounder
An all-rounder is a cricketer who regularly performs well at both batting and bowling. Although all bowlers must bat and quite a handful of batsmen do bowl occasionally, most players are skilled in only one of the two disciplines and are consi ...
s in the history of cricket. Dev's all-round performance has been praised by cricketers including
Sunil Gavaskar who regards him as one of the greatest all-rounders to play the game. He was the coach of the
Indian national team between September 1999 and September 2000. On 11 March 2010, Dev was inducted into the
ICC Cricket Hall of Fame
The ICC Cricket Hall of Fame recognises "the achievements of the legends of the game from cricket's long and illustrious history". It was launched by the International Cricket Council (ICC) in Dubai on 2 January 2009, in association with the Fe ...
.
In 1982 awarded with the
Padma Shri
Padma Shri ( IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is conf ...
and in 1991 the
Padma Bhushan.
Early life
Kapildev Ramlal Nikhanj was born to Ram Lal Nikhanj, a
teak
Teak (''Tectona grandis'') is a tropical hardwood tree species in the family Lamiaceae. It is a large, deciduous tree that occurs in mixed hardwood forests. ''Tectona grandis'' has small, fragrant white flowers arranged in dense clusters ( pan ...
merchant and his wife, Rajkumari in
Chandigarh
Chandigarh () is a planned city in India. Chandigarh is bordered by the state of Punjab to the west and the south, and by the state of Haryana to the east. It constitutes the bulk of the Chandigarh Capital Region or Greater Chandigarh, which al ...
on 6 January 1959. His family moved to
Fazilka
Fazilka, also known as Bangla, is a city and a municipal council in Fazilka district of Punjab, India. In 2011, it was made the headquarter of the newly created Fazilka district. The Trans-Afghanistan Pipeline (TAPI) project originating in ...
after the
Partition before eventually moving to
Chandigarh
Chandigarh () is a planned city in India. Chandigarh is bordered by the state of Punjab to the west and the south, and by the state of Haryana to the east. It constitutes the bulk of the Chandigarh Capital Region or Greater Chandigarh, which al ...
. His paternal family is from
Montgomery (now known as
Sahiwal) and his mother was born in
Pakpattan
Pakpattan ( Punjabi and ), often referred to as Pākpattan Sharīf (; ''"Noble Pakpattan"''), is the capital city of the Pakpattan District, located in Punjab province of Pakistan. It is the 48th largest city of Pakistan by population according ...
,
Okara. Dev was a student at D.A.V. School.
Domestic Career
Kapil Dev made an impressive debut for
Haryana
Haryana (; ) is an Indian state located in the northern part of the country. It was carved out of the former state of East Punjab on 1 Nov 1966 on a linguistic basis. It is ranked 21st in terms of area, with less than 1.4% () of India's land ...
in November 1975 against
Punjab
Punjab (; Punjabi Language, Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also Romanization, romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the I ...
with a 6-wicket haul, restricting Punjab to just 63 runs and helping Haryana to victory. He finished the season with 121 wickets in 30 matches.
In the
1976–77 season opener against
Jammu & Kashmir, he had a match haul of 8/36 in the win. While his contribution for the rest of that season was ordinary, Haryana qualified for the pre-quarterfinals. Dev achieved his then best innings haul of 8/20 in just 9 overs in the second innings to skittle
Bengal
Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...
for 58 runs in under 19 overs. Haryana lost to
Bombay
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' fin ...
in the quarter-finals.
He began his
1977–78 season claiming 8/38 in the first innings against
Services. With 3 wickets in the second innings, he took his maiden
10-wicket haul in
first-class cricket
First-class cricket, along with List A cricket and Twenty20 cricket, is one of the highest-standard forms of cricket. A first-class match is one of three or more days' scheduled duration between two sides of eleven players each and is officiall ...
, a feat he would later achieve twice in
Test cricket
Test cricket is a form of first-class cricket played at international level between teams representing full member countries of the International Cricket Council (ICC). A match consists of four innings (two per team) and is scheduled to last f ...
. With 23 wickets in 4 matches, he was selected for the
Irani Trophy
Irani Trophy or Irani Cup also known as the Mastercard Irani Trophy due to sponsorship reasons, is a first-class cricket tournament organised by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). . It is played annually between the winners of ...
,
Duleep Trophy and
Wills Trophy matches.
In the
1978–79 season, Haryana had a repeat encounter with Bengal in the pre-quarterfinal match after a lackluster season from Dev (12 wickets from 4 matches). He scored 2 half-centuries in the group stage matches. In the pre-quarterfinal match, he took a
5-wicket haul in the first innings. Poor batting by Haryana in the second innings let Bengal avenge their loss from 2 seasons back by scoring the required 161 runs for the loss of just 4 wickets. Dev stood out in the
Irani Trophy
Irani Trophy or Irani Cup also known as the Mastercard Irani Trophy due to sponsorship reasons, is a first-class cricket tournament organised by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). . It is played annually between the winners of ...
match, scoring 62 runs and coming in at number 8. He took 5 catches in the game where
Karnataka
Karnataka (; ISO 15919, ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reor ...
was defeated by the Rest of India XI. Dev arrived in the national spotlight with a standout performance in the finals of the
Duleep Trophy, taking a first-innings haul of 7/65 in 24 overs. He was included in the
North Zone squad for
Deodhar Trophy and Wills Trophy for the first time. He played his first Test match in the season against
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
.
In the
1979–80 season, Dev showed his batting talent with a maiden century against
Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...
when he scored his career-best 193. In the pre-quarterfinal match, where he captained Haryana for the first time against
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 195 ...
, he took a five-wicket haul in the second innings to advance to quarterfinals, where they lost to
Karnataka
Karnataka (; ISO 15919, ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reor ...
. With Dev cementing his place in the Indian national squad, his appearances in domestic matches dwindled.
1990–91 Ranji Champions
In the
1990–91 Ranji season,
Haryana
Haryana (; ) is an Indian state located in the northern part of the country. It was carved out of the former state of East Punjab on 1 Nov 1966 on a linguistic basis. It is ranked 21st in terms of area, with less than 1.4% () of India's land ...
rode into the semi-finals on the back of the bowling performance of
Chetan Sharma and the batting performance of
Amarjit Kaypee. Dev took center stage in the semi-final against
Bengal
Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...
, where he led his team to a Mammoth score of 605 runs by scoring 141 as well as taking 5 wickets.
The finals of the 1991 season will be remembered for the number of international cricketers who participated, including Kapil Dev,
Chetan Sharma,
Ajay Jadeja and
Vijay Yadav turning up for Haryana and Bombay cricket team represented by
Sanjay Manjrekar
Sanjay Vijay Manjrekar (born 12 July 1965) is an Indian cricket commentator and former cricketer. He played international cricket for India from 1987 until 1996 as a right-handed middle order batsman.
Domestic career
Manjrekar was born in Man ...
,
Vinod Kambli,
Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar (; ; born 24 April 1973) is an Indian former international cricketer who captained the Indian national team. He is regarded as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket. He is the all time highest run-sco ...
,
Dilip Vengsarkar,
Chandrakant Pandit
Chandrakant Sitaram Pandit (born 30 September 1961) is a former Indian cricketer who played in 5 Tests and 36 ODIs from 1986 to 1992. He was a Wicket Keeper Batsman for Indian national cricket team. He made his test debut against ...
,
Salil Ankola and
Abey Kuruvilla. Deepak Sharma (199), Ajay Jadeja (94), and Chetan Sharma (98) helped Haryana to a score of 522 while Yogendra Bhandari (5 wickets) and Dev (3 wickets) restricted Bombay to 410 runs in the first innings. A crucial 41 from Dev and top scorer Banerjee (60) took Haryana to 242 runs, setting Bombay a target of 355 runs. After the initial wickets, Vengsarkar (139) and Tendulkar (96) fought back for the Bombay team. After Tendulkar's dismissal, Haryana took the final 6 wickets for 102 runs and Vengsarkar and Bombay were stranded 3 runs short of the target. Dev won his maiden and only Ranji Trophy championship.
County Cricket
Kapil Dev played
county cricket
Inter-county cricket matches are known to have been played since the early 18th century, involving teams that are representative of the historic counties of England and Wales. Since the late 19th century, there have been two county championship ...
in England
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire (; abbreviated Northants.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2015, it had a population of 723,000. The county is administered by
two unitary authorities: North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. It ...
between 1981 and 1983 and for
Worcestershire
Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a county in the West Midlands of England. The area that is now Worcestershire was absorbed into the unified Kingdom of England in 927, at which time it was constituted as a county (see H ...
during the 1984 and 1985 seasons. He played a total of 40 first-class matches in his county stint, and made 2,312 runs across 64 innings with four centuries and 14 half-centuries. Out of his 835 overall first-class wickets, 103 of those wickets came in county cricket.
International career
Early years (1978–1982)
Dev made his
Test cricket
Test cricket is a form of first-class cricket played at international level between teams representing full member countries of the International Cricket Council (ICC). A match consists of four innings (two per team) and is scheduled to last f ...
debut in
Faisalabad, Pakistan on 16 October 1978. Although his match figures were unimpressive, the numbers did not convey any measure of his contribution. He startled the
Pakistani batsmen with his pace and bouncers that struck their helmets on more than one occasion.
Dev captured his maiden wicket of
Sadiq Mohammad with his trademark outswinger. He showcased his
all-rounder
An all-rounder is a cricketer who regularly performs well at both batting and bowling. Although all bowlers must bat and quite a handful of batsmen do bowl occasionally, most players are skilled in only one of the two disciplines and are consi ...
talent when he scored India's fastest Test half-century off 33 balls and 2 sixes in each of the innings during the 3rd
Test match at
National Stadium, Karachi
The National Stadium (Urdu: نیشنل سٹیڈیم), also referred to as National Bank Cricket Arena for sponsorship reasons, is a cricket stadium in Karachi, Pakistan, owned by the Pakistan Cricket Board. It is the home ground of Karachi Kin ...
, although India lost the match and the series 2–0. In the ensuing series against a visiting
West Indies
The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greate ...
team, he scored his maiden Test century (126) at
Feroz Shah Kotla,
Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...
in just 124 balls and had a steady bowling performance (17 wickets at 33.00). Ominous signs of Dev's liking for
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
showed up in the ensuring series, his first outside the sub-continent. He picked up his first 5-wicket haul and all of England's wickets, although it came at a huge cost (48 overs and 146 runs conceded) as England scored a mammoth 633 and won the match comfortably. Dev finished the series with 16 wickets though his batting haul of 45 runs (Average: 7.5) was unimpressive. His debut in
ODI Cricket happened in the earlier tour of Pakistan where his individual performance was ordinary and it stayed the same as both Dev and
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...
had a poor campaign at the
1979 Cricket World Cup
The 1979 Cricket World Cup (officially called the Prudential Cup '79) was the second edition of the Cricket World Cup. Organised by the International Cricket Conference, it was held in England from 9 to 23 June 1979.
The tournament was once aga ...
.
Dev established himself as India's premier fast bowler when he took two 5-wicket hauls and ended the home series against
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...
with 28 wickets (Average: 22.32) and also 212 runs that included a half-century. He gained fame in the 6-Test home series against
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
in the 1979–80 season when he led India to 2 victories against the visitors – once with the bat (69) at
Wankhede Stadium, Bombay and the second time with bat and ball (10-wicket haul in match – 4/90 in the first innings and 7/56 in the second innings, 84 in 98 balls with his bat) at
Chepauk, Madras (Now Chennai). Dev rates his all-round performance in this match as his career best and his second innings figure of 7/56 was his best to-date.
During the series, he also became the youngest Test player to achieve the all-round double of 100 Wickets and 1000 Runs and in 25 matches (although
Ian Botham
Ian Terence Botham, Baron Botham, (born 24 November 1955) is an English cricket commentator, member of the House of Lords, a former cricketer who has been chairman of Durham County Cricket Club since 2017 and charity fundraiser.
Hailed as on ...
took just 21 matches to achieve the same feat) and finished the series with 32 wickets (Ave: 17.68) and 278 runs that included 2 fifties.
India's tour of
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...
in 1980–81 had the looks of the familiar Indian series as India were 1–0 down and were defending a meagre 143 runs and Dev virtually ruled out with a groin injury. When Australia finished the fourth day at 18/3, Dev willed himself to play the final day with pain-killing injections and removed the dangerous Australia middle order. Dev won the match for India with the innings bowling performance of 16.4–4–28–5, a bowling performance that figures in his five best bowling performance.
During the Australian tour, he scored his first fifty in ODIs against
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island coun ...
at
Brisbane
Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...
. Somehow India's Test cricket sensation was unable to adjust to ODI cricket and had a career start of 278 runs (Average: 17.38) and 17 wickets after 16 ODI matches.
A dismal
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island coun ...
tour later, Dev was ready for the 1981–82 home series against
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
where his five-wicket haul won the first test at
Wankhede Stadium, Bombay. He scored 318 runs (Average: 53, 1 century, 1 fifty) and took 22 wickets (2 5-wicket hauls) and walked away with the
Man of the Series honours. England saw more of Dev in the ensuing series at home against the
Indian cricket team
The India men's national cricket team, also known as Team India or the Men in Blue, represents India in men's international cricket. It is governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), and is a Full Member of the International ...
in the 1982 season when he opened with a 5-wicket haul and 130 runs in a losing cause at
Lord's
Lord's Cricket Ground, commonly known as Lord's, is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England ...
. He finished the 3-match series with 292 runs (Ave: 73, 3 fifties) and 10 Wickets and bagged the Man of the Series again.
Facing
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
for the first time, Dev helped himself to a five-wicket haul to kick start the 1982–83 season. In the following tour to
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
, Dev and
Mohinder Amarnath were the only bright spots in a series dominated by rival
all-rounder
An all-rounder is a cricketer who regularly performs well at both batting and bowling. Although all bowlers must bat and quite a handful of batsmen do bowl occasionally, most players are skilled in only one of the two disciplines and are consi ...
Imran Khan
Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi ( ur}; born 5 October 1952) is a Pakistani politician and former Cricket captain who served as the 22nd Prime Minister of Pakistan from August 2018 to until April 2022, when he was ousted through a no-confiden ...
(40 wickets and 1 century). Dev took a 5/102 haul in the second Test at
National Stadium, Karachi
The National Stadium (Urdu: نیشنل سٹیڈیم), also referred to as National Bank Cricket Arena for sponsorship reasons, is a cricket stadium in Karachi, Pakistan, owned by the Pakistan Cricket Board. It is the home ground of Karachi Kin ...
, 7/220 in the third Test at
Iqbal Stadium,
Faisalabad and 8/85 at
Gaddafi Stadium,
Lahore
Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second List of cities in Pakistan by population, most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th List of largest cities, most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is th ...
while he received little support from other team members. After this disastrous tour, Dev was made the
captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
of the
Indian cricket team
The India men's national cricket team, also known as Team India or the Men in Blue, represents India in men's international cricket. It is governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), and is a Full Member of the International ...
in place of
Sunil Gavaskar.
Captain: 1983 World Cup Champions (1982–1984)
Dev debuted as India's captain in the 1982–83 season against
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
(before the Pakistan tour) when Gavaskar was rested. His first assignment as regular captain was the tour of
West Indies
The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greate ...
, where the biggest accomplishment was a lone ODI victory. Dev (72) and Gavaskar (90) led India to a huge score – 282/5 in 47 overs and Dev's 2 wickets aided India to restrict West Indies for 255 and a victory that Indian cricketers claim gave them the confidence to face the West Indies team in
1983 Cricket World Cup
The 1983 Cricket World Cup (officially the Prudential Cup '83) was the 3rd edition of the Cricket World Cup tournament. It was held from 9 to 25 June 1983 in England and Wales and was won by India. Eight countries participated in the event. ...
. Overall, Dev had a good series in West Indies as he scored a century to save the second test match as well as picking up 17 wickets (Average: 24.94).
1983 World Cup performance
Dev entered the World Cup with an ordinary individual record – 32 Matches, 608 Runs (Average: 21), 34 wickets. India's solitary victory in the previous two World Cups was against
East Africa
East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territories make up Eastern Africa:
Due to the historica ...
in
1975
It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe.
Events
January
* January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...
. Riding on
Yashpal Sharma (89 Runs),
Roger Binny
Roger Michael Humphrey Binny (born 19 July 1955) is an Indian former international cricketer who is the 36th and incumbent president of Board of Control for Cricket in India. He was the president of Karnataka State Cricket Association from 2019 ...
and
Ravi Shastri (3 wickets each), India inflicted the West Indies' first-ever defeat in the World Cup. Following a victory against
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and ...
, India lost the next two matches – Australia (despite Dev's best career figures of 5/43) and West Indies. India now needed victories against Australia and Zimbabwe to advance to the semifinals.
India faced Zimbabwe at
Nevill Ground,
Royal Tunbridge Wells
Royal Tunbridge Wells is a town in Kent, England, southeast of central London. It lies close to the border with East Sussex on the northern edge of the High Weald, whose sandstone geology is exemplified by the rock formation High Rocks ...
on 18 June 1983. After falling behind, Dev, batting with the lower order batsmen, stabilised the side with help from
Roger Binny
Roger Michael Humphrey Binny (born 19 July 1955) is an Indian former international cricketer who is the 36th and incumbent president of Board of Control for Cricket in India. He was the president of Karnataka State Cricket Association from 2019 ...
(22 runs) and
Madan Lal. Dev scored his century off 72 balls. Together with Kirmani (24 runs), Dev put on an unbeaten 126 runs for the 9th wicket – a world record that stood unbroken for 27 years (10,000 days), and finished not out with 175 runs off 138 balls, an innings that included 16 boundaries and 6 sixes. The innings figures in the Top 10 ODI Batting Performances at No. 4. India won the match by 31 runs.
India faced the
English cricket team in the semifinals. Dev helped curtail the lower order after England lost regular wickets to Binny and Amarnath. He took 3 wickets as India limited England to 213 and the middle order of Amarnath (46 runs),
Yashpal Sharma (61) and
Sandeep Patil (51*) ensured victory and entry into the finals to take on the
West Indies cricket team
The West Indies cricket team, nicknamed the Windies, is a multi-national men's cricket team representing the mainly English-speaking countries and territories in the Caribbean region and administered by Cricket West Indies. The players on ...
who were looking for a hat-trick of World Cup titles. West Indies restricted India for 183 runs, with only
Krishnamachari Srikkanth (38 runs) providing some scoring relief. Despite losing
Gordon Greenidge
Sir Cuthbert Gordon Greenidge (born 1 May 1951) is a Barbadian, former first-class cricketer, who represented the West Indies in Test and One-day Cricket for 17 years. Greenidge is regarded worldwide as one of the greatest and most destructive ...
, West Indies steadied their innings to 57/2 on the back of quick scoring by
Viv Richards
Sir Isaac Vivian Alexander Richards (born 7 March 1952) is an Antiguan retired cricketer who represented the West Indies cricket team between 1974 and 1991. Batting generally at number three in a dominant West Indies side, Richards is widely ...
. Richards played one too many aggressive shots when he skied a pull shot from
Madan Lal that Dev caught at deep square leg after running backward for over 20 yards. The catch is attributed as the turning point in the
1983 WC Final and is regarded as one of the finest in ODI Cricket. West Indies collapsed from 50/1 to 76/6 and finally were bowled out for 140 with Dev picking up the wicket of
Andy Roberts and
Mohinder Amarnath picking up the final wicket of
Michael Holding. The win was India's maiden World Cup and he led with 303 runs (Average: 60.6), 12 wickets (Average: 20.41) and 7 catches in 8 matches.
Post-World Cup
After the World Cup, India hosted the
West Indies cricket team
The West Indies cricket team, nicknamed the Windies, is a multi-national men's cricket team representing the mainly English-speaking countries and territories in the Caribbean region and administered by Cricket West Indies. The players on ...
and lost the
Test series 3–0 and the ODI Series 5–0. Dev achieved his best test bowling performance in a loss at
Motera Stadium, Ahmedabad with a return of 9/83. His bowling performance in the test and ODI series was let down by his poor batting performance. The selectors ended Dev's reign by reappointing Gavaskar as captain in early 1984.
Return to captaincy
Dev was reappointed captain in March 1985 and guided India on a Test series win over England in 1986. This period saw one of his most famous matches, the
second Tied Test, in which he was named joint-
man of the match with Australian batsman
Dean Jones.
He was retained as captain for the
1987 Cricket World Cup. In their first match, Australia scored 268 against India. However, after the close of innings, Dev agreed with the umpires that the score should be increased to 270 as one boundary during the innings had been mistakenly signalled as a four and not a six. In their reply, India scored 269 falling short of Australia's score by one run. In the
Wisden Cricketer's Almanack
''Wisden Cricketers' Almanack'', or simply ''Wisden'', colloquially the Bible of Cricket, is a cricket reference book published annually in the United Kingdom. The description "bible of cricket" was first used in the 1930s by Alec Waugh in a ...
, it was reported that ''"Kapil Dev's sportsmanship proved the deciding factor in a close-run match"''. India went on to reach the semi-final of the 1987 World Cup, where they lost to England. Dev faced the blame for India's defeat as he holed out to deep mid-wicket triggering a collapse that led to the unexpected loss. He did not captain India again, although he was the Vice-captain for India's tour to Pakistan in 1989.
The captaincy period was on the whole a difficult one for him as it was mired with reports of differences with Gavaskar, as well as his own inconsistent form as a bowler. However, both men later insisted that these reports were exaggerated. Dev's performance as Captain was better than as a player.
Skills
Dev was a right-arm
pace bowler noted for his graceful action and potent
outswinger, and was India's main strike bowler for most of his career. He developed a fine
inswinging yorker during the 1980s, which he used very effectively against
tail-enders. As a
batsman, he was a natural striker of the ball who could hook and drive effectively. A naturally aggressive player, he often helped India in difficult situations by taking the attack to the opposition. Nicknamed ''The Haryana Hurricane'', he represented the
Haryana cricket team in domestic cricket.
Bowling style
Dev was a fast bowler. However, a fluent run-up and a gather that was perfectly side-on at the time of delivery meant that the outswinger came naturally to him. Usually bowled at a length and direction that always troubled right-handers, his delivery was the bane of most of his victims as he sought to beat the bat on the outside edge, either caught on the off-side cordon or indeed LBW and bowled in case the ball missed the edge. The side-on action meant that, for the first few years, this was the only delivery he could bowl. The deliveries that held their lines or came into the right-hander came through natural variations off the pitch. However, as he gained maturity, the action became less side-on and he developed an inswinger too. He noted in the mid-1980s that the only delivery he could not bowl at will was the leg-cutter.
By the end of 1983, Dev already had about 250 Test wickets in just five years and looked well on his way to becoming one of the most prolific wicket-takers ever. However, his bowling declined following knee surgery in 1984, as he lost some of his jump at the crease. Despite this setback, he never missed playing a single test or one-day game on fitness grounds. Though he lost some of his bite, he remained an effective bowler for another ten years and became the second bowler ever to take 400
wicket
In cricket, the term wicket has several meanings:
* It is one of the two sets of three stumps and two bails at either end of the pitch. The fielding team's players can hit the wicket with the ball in a number of ways to get a batsman out. ...
s in Test cricket in 1991–92 when he took
Mark Taylor's wicket in a series versus Australia in Australia. In that Australian tour he took 25 wickets.
Final years
Dev continued as India's lead pace bowler under a succession of captains in the early 1990s. He was involved in a notable incident during the Lord's Test Match of 1990, when he hit off-spinner
Eddie Hemmings for four sixes in succession to take India past the follow-on target. This match featured the highest test score by an Englishman against India, 333 by
Graham Gooch
Graham Alan Gooch, (born 23 July 1953) is a former English first-class cricketer who captained Essex and England. He was one of the most successful international batsmen of his generation, and through a career spanning from 1973 until 2000, ...
. Dev was cited by umpire
Dickie Bird as being one of the greatest all-rounders of all-time.
He became a valuable batsman in the ODI version of the game, as a pinch-hitter used to accelerate the run-scoring rate, usually in the final ten overs, and was relied upon to stabilize the innings in the event of a collapse. He played in the
1992 Cricket World Cup
The 1992 Cricket World Cup (officially the Benson & Hedges World Cup 1992) was the fifth staging of the Cricket World Cup, organised by the International Cricket Council (ICC). It was held in Australia and New Zealand from 22 February to 25 Mar ...
, his last, under the captaincy of
Mohammad Azharuddin and topped the batting strike rate with 125.80 runs per 100 balls. He led the bowling attack with younger talents like
Javagal Srinath
Javagal Srinath, (, born 31 August 1969) is a former Indian cricketer and currently an ICC match referee. He is considered among India's finest fast bowlers, and was the first Indian fast bowler to take more than 300 wickets in One Day Inter ...
and
Manoj Prabhakar, who would eventually succeed him as India's leading pace bowlers. He retired in 1994, after breaking
Richard Hadlee's then standing record for the most Test wickets taken.
List of centuries by opponent
Post-retirement
National coach
Kapil Dev was appointed coach of the Indian national cricket team in 1999, succeeding
Anshuman Gaekwad
Anshuman Dattajirao Gaekwad (born 23 September 1952) is a former Indian cricketer and two-time Indian national cricket coach. He played in 40 Test matches and 15 One Day Internationals. His father Datta Gaekwad also played Test Cricket for Ind ...
. In his term, India won just one test match (at home against New Zealand) and had two major series losses in Australia (3–0) and at home against South Africa (2–0) and in general his term was considered a disappointment. At the height of the match fixing allegation by
Manoj Prabhakar, a charge that was dismissed later, Dev resigned from his position as national coach. Stung by the betting controversy, he announced his farewell stating that "I bid adieu to the game that gave me so much and then took a great deal of it away on the mere hearsay of a third party". After a brief interval, he was succeeded as coach by former
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island coun ...
batsman
John Wright, who became India's first foreign coach.
Return
After a period of silence away from the public eye, Dev returned to cricket when ''
Wisden'' announced him as one of the sixteen finalists for the ''Wisden'' Indian Cricketer of the Century award in July 2002. Dev pipped longtime teammate Gavaskar and crowd favourite Tendulkar to win the award and claimed the moment as "my finest hour".
Dev slowly returned to cricket as a bowling consultant and was the bowling coach in the preparatory camp prior to India's tour of Pakistan in March 2004. In October 2006, he was nominated as the chairman of
National Cricket Academy for a two-year period.
In 2005, he acted in a brief role in the cult film ''
Iqbal Iqbal, Eqbal, Ikbal, or Eghbal may refer to:
Geography Iran
* ''Eqbal, Iran'', a village in West Azerbaijan Province
*''Eqbaliyeh'', rural district in Iran
* ''Eqbal-e Gharbi Rural District'', western provincial district in Qazvin, Iran
* ''Eqbal- ...
'' written by
Vipul K. Rawal where he played himself. Initially the director was not keen on approaching him; however, writer Rawal insisted as the role was written with him in mind.
In May 2007, Dev joined the upstart
Indian Cricket League (ICL) floated by
Zee TV
Zee TV (stylised as ZEE TV) is a Hindi general entertainment pay television
Pay television, also known as subscription television, premium television or, when referring to an individual service, a premium channel, refers to subscription-ba ...
as the chairman of executive board, defending his decision as complimenting BCCI's structure rather than opposing it – "We are not looking to create a rival team but helping the Indian board to find more talent". In June 2007, BCCI responded by revoking the pension for all players who had joined ICL, including Dev. On 21 August 2007, Dev was removed from the chairmanship of the
National Cricket Academy, a day after he addressed a formal press conference of the new
Indian Cricket League.
On 25 July 2012 Dev resigned from ICL and continued to support BCCI, thereby paving way to get back into the BCCI fold.
Joining Territorial Army
On 24 September 2008, Dev joined the
Indian Territorial Army
The Territorial Army (TA) of India is an auxiliary military organisation of part-time volunteers that provides support service to the Indian Army. It is composed of officers, junior commissioned officers, non-commissioned officers and other ...
and was commissioned as a
Lieutenant Colonel
Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colon ...
by General
Deepak Kapoor,
Chief of the Army Staff. He joined as an honorary officer.
Chancellor of Haryana's Sports University
He was appointed as first chancellor of the Sports University of Haryana in 2019. The university is situated in India's
Haryana
Haryana (; ) is an Indian state located in the northern part of the country. It was carved out of the former state of East Punjab on 1 Nov 1966 on a linguistic basis. It is ranked 21st in terms of area, with less than 1.4% () of India's land ...
state which he represented in domestic cricket.
Personal life
Dev married Romi Bhatia in 1980 and had a daughter, Amiya Dev, on 16 January 1996.
In 1993, Dev took up golf. Dev was the only Asian founding member of Laureus Foundation in 2000.
Ian Botham
Ian Terence Botham, Baron Botham, (born 24 November 1955) is an English cricket commentator, member of the House of Lords, a former cricketer who has been chairman of Durham County Cricket Club since 2017 and charity fundraiser.
Hailed as on ...
and
Viv Richards
Sir Isaac Vivian Alexander Richards (born 7 March 1952) is an Antiguan retired cricketer who represented the West Indies cricket team between 1974 and 1991. Batting generally at number three in a dominant West Indies side, Richards is widely ...
were the other two cricketers on the founding member council of 40.
Steve Waugh was added to the Academy members in 2006 when it was expanded from 40 to 42. He pledged his organs during an event organised by Delhi Urological Society on 31 January 2014 at the
Airport Authority of India, Officers Club, New Delhi.
On 23 October 2020, Dev suffered a
heart attack
A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...
and was hospitalised. He underwent an emergency coronary
angioplasty at a hospital in Delhi.
Books
He has written four books – three autobiographical and one book on
Sikhism
Sikhism (), also known as Sikhi ( pa, ਸਿੱਖੀ ', , from pa, ਸਿੱਖ, lit=disciple', 'seeker', or 'learner, translit=Sikh, label=none),''Sikhism'' (commonly known as ''Sikhī'') originated from the word ''Sikh'', which comes fro ...
. Autobiographical works include — ''By God's Decree'' which came out in 1985, ''Cricket My Style'' in 1987, and ''Straight from the Heart'' in 2004. His latest book titled ''We, The Sikhs'' was released in 2019.
Records
Captaincy record
Test matches
Source:
One Day Internationals
Source:
Test cricket
* In early 1994, he became the
highest Test wicket-taker in the world, breaking the record held by Sir
Richard Hadlee. Dev's record was broken by
Courtney Walsh in 1999.
* Only player to have achieved the all-rounder's double of 4,000 Test runs and 400 Test wickets
Filmography
*''
C.I.D.'' (Season 1) Episode- Howzzat? (Episode 289,290) as Himself
* ''
Mujhse Shaadi Karogi'' (2004) as Himself
* ''
Iqbal Iqbal, Eqbal, Ikbal, or Eghbal may refer to:
Geography Iran
* ''Eqbal, Iran'', a village in West Azerbaijan Province
*''Eqbaliyeh'', rural district in Iran
* ''Eqbal-e Gharbi Rural District'', western provincial district in Qazvin, Iran
* ''Eqbal- ...
'' (2005) as Himself
* ''
Chain Kulii Ki Main Kulii
''Chain Kulii Ki Main Kulii'' is a 2007 Hindi-language Indian fantasy sports comedy film directed by Karanjeet Saluja (also known as Kittu Saluja). It stars Zain Khan and Rahul Bose. The film features music by Salim–Sulaiman and lyrics by I ...
'' (2007) as Himself
* ''
83 (film)
''83'' is a 2021 Indian Hindi language biopic sports drama film written and directed by Kabir Khan and produced by Deepika Padukone, Kabir Khan, Vishnu Vardhan Induri, Sajid Nadiadwala, Reliance Entertainment. Based on the India national ...
'' (2021) as Himself and also portrayed by
Ranveer Singh
* ''
Double XL'' (2022) as Himself
Achievements
Awards
* 1979–80 –
Arjuna Award
The Arjuna Award, officially known as Arjuna Awards for Outstanding Performance in Sports and Games, is the second-highest sporting honour of India, the highest being the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award. The award is named after Arjuna, one ...
* 1982 –
Padma Shri
Padma Shri ( IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is conf ...
* 1983 –
Wisden Cricketer of the Year
The ''Wisden'' Cricketers of the Year are cricketers selected for the honour by the annual publication '' Wisden Cricketers' Almanack'', based primarily on their "influence on the previous English season". The award began in 1889 with the naming ...
* 1991 –
Padma Bhushan
* 2002 –
Wisden Indian Cricketer of the Century
* 2010 –
ICC Cricket Hall of Fame
The ICC Cricket Hall of Fame recognises "the achievements of the legends of the game from cricket's long and illustrious history". It was launched by the International Cricket Council (ICC) in Dubai on 2 January 2009, in association with the Fe ...
* 2013 – The 25 Greatest Global Living Legends in India by NDTV
* 2013 – CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement award(announced)
* 2019 –
Bharat Gaurav Award
In popular culture
Dev made cameo appearances in the films ''
Dillagi... Yeh Dillagi'',
''Iqbal'', ''
Chain Khuli ki Main Khuli'' and ''
Mujhse Shaadi Karogi'' among others. He has also released a song "One India My India" with
Shailendra Singh.
The 2016 Indian film ''
Azhar'', directed by Tony D'Souza, revolves around
Match fixing scandals in late 90s and 2000. In the film Dev's character was played by
Varun Badola
Varun Badola (born 7 January 1974) is an Indian actor, known largely for his roles in television.
Early life
Varun Badola was born on 7 January 1974. His father is a known artist, Vishwa Mohan Badola. He has two elder sisters – Alka, who is ...
. Indian filmmaker
Kabir Khan directed a biopic film, titled
''83'', about India's first world cup win in 1983. The film features
Ranveer Singh as Dev and is produced by
Anurag Kashyap
Anurag Kashyap (born 10 September 1972) is an Indian filmmaker and actor known for his works in Hindi cinema. He is the recipient of several accolades, including four Filmfare Awards. For his contributions to film, the Government of France awa ...
and Kapil Dev has a cameo as a spectator.
References
External links
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dev, Kapil
1959 births
Living people
Coaches of the Indian national cricket team
Cricketers at the 1979 Cricket World Cup
Cricketers at the 1983 Cricket World Cup
Cricketers at the 1987 Cricket World Cup
Cricketers at the 1992 Cricket World Cup
Cricketers from Chandigarh
Cricketers who have acted in films
Haryana cricketers
India One Day International cricketers
India Test cricket captains
India Test cricketers
Indian cricket administrators
Indian cricket coaches
Indian cricket commentators
Indian cricketers
North Zone cricketers
Northamptonshire cricketers
One Day International hat-trick takers
Punjabi people
Recipients of the Arjuna Award
Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in sports
Recipients of the Padma Shri in sports
Wisden Cricketers of the Year
Wisden Leading Cricketers in the World
Worcestershire cricketers