ON THIS DAY – 6th January Birth Anniversary of Kapil Dev is Observed

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One of cricket’s greatest all-rounders who led the Indian team to a historic World Cup triumph in 1983 and spearheaded the country’s pace attack for over 15 years, Kapil Dev Ramlal Nikhanj was born in Chandigarh on January 6.

Kapil Dev was great not just with the ball; he was equally talented with the bat too. An expert at hooking and driving, he often provided India with the crucial runs needed to win a match even if the top-order failed to score. Born into a middle-class family in Haryana, he became interested in cricket at a young age.

He played for the Haryana cricket team at the beginning of his career eventually making his way into the national team, thanks to his aggressive play and high energy level. He cemented his place in the Indian team with his impressive performances and was soon made the captain. It was under his leadership that India went on to win the 1983 World Cup in spite of being the underdogs.

Early Life

Kapil Dev was born on January 6, 1959, to Ram Lal Nikhanj (father) and Raj Kumari Ram Lal Nikhanj (mother) in Chandigarh, India. His father was a timber merchant while his mother was a housewife. Kapil Dev was born in Pakpattan, Pakistan (town of Sufi Saint Baba Farid) while his father belonged to Dipalpur, Pakistan.

After the partition, the family moved to Chandigarh. Kapil Dev studied at D.A.V. School and in 1971 joined Desh Prem Azad (Indian cricketer and Cricket coach).

Career

He debuted for Haryana in November 1975 in a match against Punjab. He scalped six wickets and restricted the opposition to just 63 runs and thus helped Haryana to win.

He played against Jammu & Kashmir in the 1976-77 season and took 8 wickets and made 36 runs in one match. The same year he achieved figures of 7/20 against Bengal.

In 1978-79 season, he took his maiden 10-wicket haul in first-class cricket in a match against Services. His outstanding performance ensured that he got selected for the Irani Trophy, Duleep Trophy and Wills Trophy matches.

He proved his all-round ability by showing his mettle not just with the ball but also with the bat. During the 1979-80 season he scored his maiden century, when he scored 193 runs against Delhi.

He made his test debut against Pakistan in October 1978 though it was only after a few more matches that his impact began to be felt.

In 1979, playing against a visiting West Indies team, Dev made his maiden century scoring 126 runs in just 124 balls. His bowling performance was also consistent as he took 17 wickets in the series.

The cricketer was getting better with every match he played. He picked his first 5-wicket haul against England in Edgbaston in 1979.

During Australian cricket team’s tour of India in 1979–80, Kapil Dev established himself as India’s premier fast bowler by taking taking two five-wicket hauls and a total of 28 wickets in the whole series.

His popularity soared when he led India to 2 victories in the 6-test home series against Pakistan. Kapil Dev performed spectacularly with both bat and ball. He took a ten wicket haul and scored two half centuries in the series finishing the series with 32 wickets and 278 runs.

He was made captain during the 1982-83 season and led his team in the 1983 World Cup. India were underdogs in the tournament but under Kapil Dev’s charismatic leadership the team punched much above its weight and went to win the world cup by defeating the mighty West Indies in the finals.

In 1983, Cricket World Cup match, Yashpal Sharma scored 89 Runs while Roger Binny and Ravi Shastri took 3 wickets each. This led to West Indies first ever defeat in World Cup. India won against Zimbabwe and lost the next two matches to Australia and West Indies. Thus, to advance to semi-finals, India needs to win against Australia and Zimbabwe.

On June 18, 1983, at Nevill Ground against Zimbabwe, Dev holds a world record that stood for 27 years. He finished not out with 126 runs playing for the 9th wicket. Indian won the match by 31 runs.

India advanced towards semi-finals and played against England. India won against England and advanced to Finals against West-Indies. West Indies was hoping for a hat-trick of World Cup titles. When Viv Richards was at strike, he hit the ball aggressively that Kapil Dev caught at deep square leg after running back for over 20 yards. This is one of the finest catch in the World Cup history and was also a turning point in the 1983 World Cup Final. West Indies team was bowled out for 140 runs while India scored 183 runs.

After the World Cup, India hosted a Test and ODI series with West Indies and lost by 3-0 and 5-0 respectively. After this, Gavaskar replaced Dev as the captain in 1984.

After his stellar performance, he was retained as captain for the 1987 World Cup 1987. India played well initially and reached the semi-finals where they lost to England. Kapil Dev left captaincy after this.

He played his last World Cup in 1992 under the captaincy of Mohammad Azharuddin. As a senior bowler he mentored new talents like Javagal Srinath and Manoj Prabhakar.

He retired in 1994 as the highest wicket taker for that time, with a haul of 434 wickets.

He became the coach of the Indian team in 1999 but his stint as a coach was not successful. He resigned in 2000 following some controversy.

After his resignation as India’s National Cricket Coach, Kapil Dev returned to Cricket again as a bowling consultant. In October 2006, he was nominated as the chairperson of National Cricket Academy for 2 years.

In May 2007, he joined the Indian Cricket League (ICL) as the chairman of the executive board. ICL was funded by Zee TV. In June 2007, BCCI revoked the pensions of all the players who joined ICL, including Kapil Dev. On August 21, 2007, Kapil Dev was removed from the post of chairmanship of the National Cricket Academy. This was a day after he addressed a formal press conference of the newly formed ICL. On July 25, 2012, he resigned from ICL and continued extending his support to BCCI.

Kapil Dev: Coach

Post-retirement, Kapil Dev was appointed as coach of the Indian National Cricket Team in the year 1999. During his term as a coach, India won only a test match at home against New Zealand and witnessed two series losses against Australia and South Africa.

Manoj Prabhakar alleged Kapil Dev of Match-fixing, following which he resigned as the National Coach. The charges against him were later dismissed. He was succeeded by India’s first foreign coach, John Wright, New Zealand batsman.

After his resignation as India’s National Cricket Coach, Kapil Dev returned to Cricket again as a bowling consultant. In October 2006, he was nominated as the chairperson of National Cricket Academy for 2 years.

Kapil Dev: Career apart from Cricket

On September 24, 2008, Kapil Dev joined the Indian Territorial Army. Chief of the Army Staff, General Deepak Kapoor, commissioned him as a  Lieutenant Colonel. Dev joined the army as an honorary officer.

In 2019, Kapil Dev was appointed as the first chancellor of the Sports University of Haryana.

Kapil Dev: Records

Test Cricket

1- In 1994, he broke the record held by Sir Richard Hadlee, becoming the highest Test wicket-taker in the world. Later in 1999, Courtney Walsh broke Kapil Dev’s record.

2- The only player in the world to have achieved all-rounder’s double of 4,000 Test runs and 400 Test wickets.

3- Most innings in a career– 184 Not Out.

4- Youngest Cricketer to take 100 wickets (21 years old), 200 wickets (24 years old) and 300 wickets (27 years old).

5- The only captain to take 9 wicket haul in test innings (9/83).

ODI Cricket

1- During 1978 to 1994, highest wicket-taker in ODI Cricket.

2- On March 22, 1985, peak rating (631), highest ever achieved after a World Series final against Pakistan in Australia.

3- Highest ODI score batting in number 6 order in World Cup history– 175 Not Out.

4- The most number of balls in an ODI inning when batting at number six position in ODI history. The record was tied with Neil McCallum– 138 balls.

Kapil Dev: Awards and Honours

1- Arjuna Award (1979-80)

2- Padma Shri (1982)

3- Wisden Cricketer of the Year (1983)

4- Padma Bhushan (1991)

5- Wisden Indian Cricketer of the Century (2002)

6- ICC Cricket Hall of Fame (2010)

7- The 25 Greatest Global Living Legends In India by NDTV (2013)

8-  CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement award (2013)

9- Honoured with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel by Indian Territorial Army in 2008.

Kapil Dev: Books

Kapil Dev has so far written 4 books. These are:

1- By God’s Decree (1985; Autobiography)

2- Cricket My Style (1987; Autobiography)

3- Straight from the Heart (2004; Autobiography)

4- We, The Sikhs (2019)

Personal Life & Legacy

He met Romi Bhatia through a common friend in 1979 and fell in love with her. The couple got married in 1980. After several years of marriage they were blessed with a daughter.

He took to golf after retiring from cricket. He pledged his organs during an event organized by Delhi Urological Society.

His former team mate Manoj Prabhakar accused him of being involving in a match fixing scandal. However, the courts dismissed the case for absence of any proof. This incident deeply hurt the cricketer.

Considered to be one of the greatest cricketing all-rounders of all time, Kapil Dev is a former Indian cricketer best known for leading his team to a World Cup victory in 1983. Confident, charismatic and highly skilled, he was the Indian team’s main strike bowler for the major part of his career. During his heydays he used to bamboozle batsmen with his prodigious swing.