KAPIL DEV

 KAPIL RAMALAL DEV NIKHANJ


Photo Credit: Original Photographer as in Google

Kapil Ramalal Dev Nikhanj is a former Indian cricketer. He was a fast bowler and a hard hitting middle order batsman. Regarded as one of the greatest all-rounder to play the game, he is also regarded as one of the greatest captains in the history of cricket. He was named by Wisden as the Indian Cricketer of the Century in 2002.

Kapil Dev captained the Indian cricket team that won the 1983 Cricket World Cup. He was India's national cricket coach between October 1999 and August 2000. He retired as a player in 1994, holding the world record for the greatest number of wickets taken in Test cricket, a record subsequently broken only by Courtney Walsh in 2000. At the time, he is also India's highest wicket-taker in both major forms of cricket - Tests and ODIs. He is also the first player to take 200 ODI wickets in the history of the game of cricket. He is also the only player in the history of cricket to have taken more than 400 wickets, 434 wickets to be precise and scored more than 5000 runs in Test cricket. making him one of the greatest all-rounder to have played the game. On 11 March 2010, Kapil Dev was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.

Kapil debuted as India's captain in the 1982–83 season against Sri Lanka before the Pakistan tour when Sunil Gavaskar was rested. His first assignment as regular captain was the tour of West Indies where the biggest accomplishment was a lone ODI victory. Kapil with 72 runs and Gavaskar with 90 runs led India to a huge score of 282 for 5 in 47 overs and Kapil’s 2 wickets aided India to restrict West Indies for 255 runs and a victory that Indian cricketers claim gave them the confidence to face the West Indies team in 1983 Cricket World Cup. Overall, Kapil 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 with an Average of 24.94.

Kapil Dev bevelled his name in the history of cricket on 18th June, 1983, when he played a scintillating innings of 175 runs off 138 balls and finished not out, 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 and created the confidence amongst all that went on winning the World Cup, then called Prudential Cup. On the final day when West Indies was looking very aggressive, courtesy the belligerent batting of Vivian Richards, Kapil Dev took a scintillating catch at deep square leg after running backwards for over 20 yards off a ball from Madan Lal, thus bringing down Viv’s wicket. 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 at 140 runs with Dev picking up the wicket of Andy Roberts. That in fact was India's maiden World Cup victory. This legend made it all happen.

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