Kapil Dev
Encyclopedia
Kapil Dev Ramlal Nikhanj (born 6 January 1959, Chandigarh
Punjab, India
), better known as Kapil Dev, is a former Indian cricketer
. He captained the Indian cricket team which won the 1983 Cricket World Cup
. Named by Wisden
as the Indian Cricketer of the Century in 2002, Kapil Dev was also India's national cricket coach for 10 months between October 1999 and August 2000.
Kapil 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 also 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. He retired in 1994, holding the world record for the most number of wickets taken in Test cricket
, 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 only player in the history of cricket to have taken more than 400 wickets and scored more than 5,000 runs in Tests, making him one of the greatest all-rounder
s to have played the game. On 8 March 2010, Kapil Dev was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame
during Partition
, whereafter Ram Lal Nikhanj settled in Chandigarh
and into a prosperous building and timber business. Kapil Dev was a student at D.A.V. School and joined Desh Prem Azad in 1971.
in November 1975 against Punjab
with a 6 wicket haul, restricting Punjab to just 63 runs and helping Haryana to victory. Kapil finished the season with 12 wickets in 3 matches.
In the 1976–77 season opener against Jammu & Kashmir
, he had a match haul of 8/36 to win the match for his team. While his contributions for the rest of the season was ordinary, Haryana qualified for the pre quarterfinals. Kapil Dev achieved his then best innings haul of 7/20 in just 9 overs in the second innings to skittle Bengal
for 58 runs in under 19 overs. Although Haryana lost to Bombay
in the quarter finals, his form made the nation sit up and take notice.
Kapil 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
, a feat he would later achieve twice in Test cricket
. With 23 wickets in 4 matches, he was selected for the Irani Trophy
, Duleep Trophy
and Wills Trophy matches.
For the 1978–79 season, Haryana had a repeat encounter with Bengal in the pre-quarterfinal match after a lackluster bowling season from Kapil Dev (12 wickets from 4 matches), riding on the performance of the season's leading wicket-taker – Rajinder Kaul. Kapil Dev however scored 2 half-centuries in the group stage matches. In the pre-quarterfinal match, he rose to the occasion by taking a 5-wicket haul in the first innings. Poor batting by Haryana in the second innings meant Bengal could avenge their loss from 2 seasons back by scoring the required 161 runs for the loss of just 4 wickets. Kapil Dev stood out in the Irani Trophy
match scoring 62 runs coming in at number 8. He also took 5 catches in the game where Karnataka
was defeated by the Rest of India XI. Kapil Dev arrived in the national spotlight with a trademark standout performance in the finals of the Duleep Trophy
taking a first innings haul of 7/65 in 24 overs. Kapil 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
In the 1979–80 season, Kapil showed his batting talent with a maiden century against Delhi
when he scored his career best 193. In the pre-quarterfinal match, where he captained Haryana for the first time against Uttar Pradesh
, he took a five wicket haul in the second innings to advance to quarter finals where they lost to Karnataka. With Kapil cementing his place in the Indian national squad, his appearances in domestic matches dwindled.
rode into the semi-finals on the back of the bowling performance of Chetan Sharma
and the batting performance of Amarjit Kaypee
. Kapil took centre stage in the semi-final against Bengal
, 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 were part of the match with Kapil Dev, Chetan Sharma, Ajay Jadeja
and Vijay Yadav
turning up for Haryana and Bombay cricket team represented by Sanjay Manjrekar
, Vinod Kambli
, Sachin Tendulkar
, Dilip Vengsarkar
, Chandrakant Pandit
, 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 Kapil Dev (3 wickets) restricted Bombay to 410 runs in the first innings. A crucial 41 from Kapil 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. Kapil won his maiden and only Ranji Trophy championship.
debut in Faisalabad
, Pakistan on 16 October 1978. Although his match figures were unimpressive, the numbers did not convey any measure of Kapil's contribution in the match. With his speed and bounce, he brought glee to the Indian players as the Pakistani batsmen were startled with bouncers that struck their helmets on more than one occasion. Kapil also captured his maiden wicket of Sadiq Mohammad
with his trademark outswinger. He showcased his all-rounder
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
, although India lost the match and the series 2–0. In the ensuring series against a visiting West Indies team, he scored his maiden Test century (126) at Feroz Shah Kotla
, Delhi
in just 124 balls and had a steady bowling performance (17 wickets at 33.00). Ominous signs of Kapil's liking for England showed up in the ensuring series, his first outside the sub-continent. Kapil 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. Kapil 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 Kapil and India
had a poor campaign at the 1979 Cricket World Cup
.
Kapil Dev established himself as India's premier fast bowler when he took two 5-wicket hauls and ended the home series against Australia
with 28 wickets (Average: 22.32) and also 212 runs that included a half-century. Kapil Dev gained fame in the 6-Test home series against Pakistan
in the 1979–80 season when he led India to 2 victories against the visitors – once with the bat (69) at Wankhede Stadium, Bombay (Now Mumbai)
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)
. Kapil rates his all-round performance in this match as his best bowling effort in his career, 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
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
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 Kapil Dev virtually ruled out with a groin injury. When Australia finished the fourth day at 18/3, Kapil willed himself to play the final day with pain-killing injections and removed the dangerous Australia middle order. Kapil 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
at Brisbane
. 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
tour later, Kapil Dev was ready for the 1981–82 home series against England where his five-wicket haul won the first test at Wankhede Stadium, Bombay (Now Mumbai)
. Kapil 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 Kapil in the ensuing series at home against the Indian cricket team
in the 1982 season when he opened with a 5-wicket haul and 130 runs in a losing cause at Lord's
. Kapil Dev 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
for the first time, Kapil helped himself to a five-wicket haul to kick start the 1982–83 season. In the following tour to Pakistan, Kapil and Mohinder Amarnath
were the only bright spots in a series dominated by rival all-rounder
Imran Khan
(40 wickets and 1 century). Kapil took a 5/102 haul in the second Test at National Stadium, Karachi
, 7/220 in the third Test at Iqbal Stadium
, Faisalabad
and 8/85 at Gaddafi Stadium
, Lahore
while he received little support from other team members. After this disastrous tour, Kapil was made the captain
of the Indian cricket team
in place of Sunil Gavaskar
.
(before the Pakistan tour) when 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 (72) and Gavaskar (90) led India to a huge score – 282/5 in 47 overs and Kapil'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
. 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 (Average: 24.94).
in 1975
. Riding on Yashpal Sharma
(89 Runs), Roger Binny
and Ravi Shastri
(3 wickets each), India inflicted the West Indies' first-ever defeat in the World Cup. Following a victory against Zimbabwe, India lost the next two matches – Australia (despite Kapil Dev's best career figures of 5/43) and West Indies. India now needed victories against Australia and Zimbabwe to advance to semi-finals.
India faced Zimbabwe at Nevill Ground
, Royal Tunbridge Wells
on 18 June 1983
under overcast conditions. India won the toss and elected to bat. Disaster struck as the top order started a procession back to the dressing room as Gavaskar (0), Kris Srikkanth (0), Mohinder Amarnath
(5) and Sandeep Patil
(1) leaving India at a precarious 9/4 that turned to 17/5 when Yashpal Sharma
(9) was dismissed. Batting with the lower order batsmen, Kapil Dev stabilised the side with a 60-run partnership with Roger Binny
(22 runs) and a 62-run partnership with Madan Lal
. When Syed Kirmani
walked in at 140/8, Kapil Dev had scored his half-century and went on to score his century off 100 balls. Together with Kirmani (22 runs), Kapil put on an unbeaten 126 runs for the 9th wicket – a world record that stood unbroken for 27 years (10000 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 compiled by Wisden
in February 2002 at No. 4. India won the match by 31 runs. After a win against Australia, India entered the semi-finals.
In the semi-finals India faced the English cricket team. Kapil helped curtail the lower-order after England lost regular wickets to Roger Binny and Mohinder Amarnath
. He took 3 wickets as India limited England to 213 and the middle order of Mohinder Amarnath
(46 runs), Yashpal Sharma
(61), Sandeep Patil
(51*) ensured victory and entry into the finals to take on the mighty West Indies cricket team who were looking for a hat-trick of World Cup titles. West Indies restricted India for 183 runs, with only Kris Srikkanth (38 runs) providing some scoring relief. Despite losing Gordon Greenidge
, West Indies steadied their innings to 57/2 on the back of quick scoring by Viv Richards
and looked comfortable. Richards played one too many aggressive shots when he skied a pull shot from Madan Lal
that Kapil caught at deep square leg after running 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 Kapil picking up the wicket of Andy Roberts. Kapil Dev had upset Clive Lloyd's West Indies to win Indias's maiden World Cup and he led from the front with 303 runs (Average: 60.6), 12 wickets (Average: 20.41) and 7 catches in 8 matches – a truly all-round performance.
with Australian batsman Dean Jones
.
Kapil 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, Kapil 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, 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. Kapil 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, even though 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 have since insisted that these reports were exaggerated. Above all the controversy, Kapil's performance was better when he was the Captain, than as a player underline that, he enjoyed and suited captaincy.
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.
for four sixes in succession to take India past the follow-on target. This match also featured the highest test score by an Englishman against India, 333 by Graham Gooch
. He was also cited by umpire Dickie Bird as being one of the greatest all-rounders of all-time.
He also became a valuable batsman in the ODI version of the game, being used as a pinch-hitter to accelerate the run-scoring rate, usually in the final ten overs, and relied upon to stabilise the innings in lieu of a collapse. He played in the 1992 Cricket World Cup
, which was his last, under the captaincy of Mohammad Azharuddin
. He led the bowling attack with younger talents like Javagal Srinath
and Manoj Prabhakar
, who would eventually succeed him as India's leading pace bowlers. He formally retired in 1994, after formally breaking Richard Hadlee
's record for most Test wickets – Hadlee sent a message of congratulations immediately after Kapil took the record-breaking wicket
. 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 considered a disappointment. At the height of the match fixing allegation by Manoj Prabhakar
– a charge that was dismissed later, Kapil 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 batsman John Wright
, who became India's first foreign coach.
announced him as one of the sixteen finalists for the Wisden Indian Cricketer of the Century award in July 2002. Kapil pipped long time team-mate Gavaskar and crowd favourite Tendulkar to win the award and claimed the moment as "my finest hour".
Kapil 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, Kapil Dev was nominated as the chairman of National Cricket Academy
for a 2 year period.
In 2005, he acted in a brief role in the Cult Movie Iqbal written by Vipul K Rawal
where he played himself. Initially the director was not keen on approaching him, however the writer Vipul K Rawal put his foot down as the role was written especially keeping him in mind.
In May 2007, Kapil joined the upstart Indian Cricket League
(ICL) floated by Zee TV
(which the IPL copied) 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 have joined ICL, including Kapil. on 21 August 2007, Kapil 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
.
and was commissioned as a Lieutenant Colonel
by General Deepak Kapoor
, Chief of the Army Staff
. He joined as an honorary officer.
After retirement from cricket in 1994, Kapil Dev took up golf. Kapil was the only Asian founding member of Laureus Foundation in 2000. Ian Botham
and Viv Richards
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 has written three autobiographical works. By God's Decree came out in 1985 and Cricket my style in 1987. He released his most recent autobiography, titled Straight from the Heart in 2004 (ISBN 1403-92227-6).
Kapil established a company Dev Musco Lighting Pvt Limited in partnership with Musco Lighting
to install floodlights in major stadiums and sports venues in India. Floodlight projects include PCA Stadium, GCA Stadium, Brabourne Stadium
, Barabati Stadium
, Sector 16 Stadium
.
Man of the Match Awards
Man of the Match Awards
Chandigarh
Chandigarh is a union territory of India that serves as the capital of two states, Haryana and Punjab. The name Chandigarh translates as "The Fort of Chandi". The name is from an ancient temple called Chandi Mandir, devoted to the Hindu goddess Chandi, in the city...
Punjab, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
), better known as Kapil Dev, is a former Indian cricketer
Indian cricket team
The Indian cricket team is the national cricket team of India. Governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India , it is a full member of the International Cricket Council with Test and One Day International status....
. He captained the Indian cricket team which won the 1983 Cricket World Cup
1983 Cricket World Cup
The 1983 ICC Cricket World Cup was the third edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup tournament. It was held from 9 June to 25 June 1983 in England and was won by India. Eight countries participated in the event. The preliminary matches were played in two groups of four teams each, and each...
. Named by Wisden
Wisden
The Wisden Group was a group of companies formed by John Wisden & Co Ltd, publishers of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack. As well as John Wisden & Co, the group included the The Wisden Cricketer magazine, Cricinfo – the world's highest traffic cricket website – and the Hawk-Eye computerised...
as the Indian Cricketer of the Century in 2002, Kapil Dev was also India's national cricket coach for 10 months between October 1999 and August 2000.
Kapil was a right-arm pace bowler noted for his graceful action and potent outswinger
Outswinger
An outswinger is a type of delivery in the sport of cricket. It is bowled by swing bowlers.An outswinger is bowled by holding the cricket ball with the seam at an angle and the first two fingers running along either side of the seam...
, and was India's main strike bowler for most of his career. He also developed a fine inswinging
Inswinger
An inswinger is a type of delivery in the sport of cricket. It is bowled by swing bowlers.-Grip:An inswinger is bowled by holding the cricket ball with the seam vertical and the first two fingers slightly across the seam so that it is angled a little to the leg side...
yorker
Yorker
Yorker is a term used in cricket that describes a ball bowled which hits the cricket pitch around the batsman's feet. When a batsman assumes a normal stance this generally means that the cricket ball bounces on the cricket pitch on or near the batsman's popping crease...
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
Haryana cricket team
The Haryana cricket team is a domestic cricket team based in the Indian state of Haryana. The team is run by the Haryana Cricket Association. In recent times it hasn't been very successful in the Ranji Trophy circuit. In the past, however, it has produced some of the biggest superstars to go on to...
in domestic cricket. He retired in 1994, holding the world record for the most number of wickets taken in Test cricket
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
, a record subsequently broken by Courtney Walsh
Courtney Walsh
Courtney Andrew Walsh is a former international cricketer who represented the West Indies from 1984 to 2001, captaining the West Indies in 22 Test matches...
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 only player in the history of cricket to have taken more than 400 wickets and scored more than 5,000 runs in Tests, making him one of the greatest all-rounder
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 few batsmen do bowl occasionally, most players are skilled in only one of the two disciplines and are considered specialists...
s to have played the game. On 8 March 2010, Kapil Dev was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame
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". A hall of fame, it was launched by the International Cricket Council on 2 January 2009, in association with the Federation of International Cricketers'...
Early life
Born in a Punjabi family to Ram Lal Nikhanj and Raj Kumari Lajwanti (maiden name), Kapil Dev was the sixth of seven siblings. His parents had emigrated from a Kahuta village near RawalpindiRawalpindi
Rawalpindi , locally known as Pindi, is a city in the Pothohar region of Pakistan near Pakistan's capital city of Islamabad, in the province of Punjab. Rawalpindi is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad...
during Partition
Partition of India
The Partition of India was the partition of British India on the basis of religious demographics that led to the creation of the sovereign states of the Dominion of Pakistan and the Union of India on 14 and 15...
, whereafter Ram Lal Nikhanj settled in Chandigarh
Chandigarh
Chandigarh is a union territory of India that serves as the capital of two states, Haryana and Punjab. The name Chandigarh translates as "The Fort of Chandi". The name is from an ancient temple called Chandi Mandir, devoted to the Hindu goddess Chandi, in the city...
and into a prosperous building and timber business. Kapil Dev was a student at D.A.V. School and joined Desh Prem Azad in 1971.
Domestic career
Kapil Dev made an impressive debut for HaryanaHaryana cricket team
The Haryana cricket team is a domestic cricket team based in the Indian state of Haryana. The team is run by the Haryana Cricket Association. In recent times it hasn't been very successful in the Ranji Trophy circuit. In the past, however, it has produced some of the biggest superstars to go on to...
in November 1975 against Punjab
Punjab cricket team
The Punjab cricket team is the official first-class cricket team that represents the Indian state of Punjab. They have qualified for three Ranji Trophy semi-finals in the last five seasons, and made it to the final in 2004–05 tournament, where they lost to Railways on first innings. They also play...
with a 6 wicket haul, restricting Punjab to just 63 runs and helping Haryana to victory. Kapil finished the season with 12 wickets in 3 matches.
In the 1976–77 season opener against Jammu & Kashmir
Jammu and Kashmir cricket team
The Jammu and Kashmir cricket team is a cricket team based in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. It is in the Plate Group of the Ranji Trophy. Its home ground is the Sher-i-Kashmir Stadium in Srinagar.-References:**navneet roy...
, he had a match haul of 8/36 to win the match for his team. While his contributions for the rest of the season was ordinary, Haryana qualified for the pre quarterfinals. Kapil Dev achieved his then best innings haul of 7/20 in just 9 overs in the second innings to skittle Bengal
Bengal cricket team
Bengal cricket team is considered Eastern India's strongest cricket team, it is the Elite Group of the Ranji Trophy and were runners-up twice consecutively in the 2005-06 and the 2006-07 season. Their ranks are occasionally bolstered by the return of Sourav Ganguly to the domestic competition...
for 58 runs in under 19 overs. Although Haryana lost to Bombay
Mumbai cricket team
The Mumbai cricket team is a cricket team representing the city of Mumbai in Indian domestic cricket. It is the most successful team in the Ranji Trophy, India's top domestic cricket competition, with 39 titles, the most recent being in 2009–10. The team's home ground is the Wankhede Stadium in...
in the quarter finals, his form made the nation sit up and take notice.
Kapil began his 1977–78 season claiming 8/38 in the first innings against Services
Services cricket team
The Services cricket team is a domestic cricket team in the Elite Group of the Ranji Trophy, the main domestic competition in India.-Current squad:*Sarbjit Singh*Yashpal Singh *Jasvir Singh*Brijesh Kumar*Vishnu Tiwari*Mumtaaz Qadir...
. With 3 wickets in the second innings, he took his maiden 10-wicket haul in first-class cricket
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
, a feat he would later achieve twice in Test cricket
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
. With 23 wickets in 4 matches, he was selected for the Irani Trophy
Irani Trophy
The Irani Cup tournament was conceived during the 1959-60 season to mark the completion of 25 years of the Ranji Trophy championship and was named after the late Z.R. Irani, who was associated with the Board of Control for Cricket in India from its inception in 1928, till his death in 1970...
, Duleep Trophy
Duleep Trophy
The Duleep Trophy is a domestic first-class cricket competition played in India between teams representing geographical zones of India. The competition is named after Kumar Shri Duleepsinhji .-History:...
and Wills Trophy matches.
For the 1978–79 season, Haryana had a repeat encounter with Bengal in the pre-quarterfinal match after a lackluster bowling season from Kapil Dev (12 wickets from 4 matches), riding on the performance of the season's leading wicket-taker – Rajinder Kaul. Kapil Dev however scored 2 half-centuries in the group stage matches. In the pre-quarterfinal match, he rose to the occasion by taking a 5-wicket haul in the first innings. Poor batting by Haryana in the second innings meant Bengal could avenge their loss from 2 seasons back by scoring the required 161 runs for the loss of just 4 wickets. Kapil Dev stood out in the Irani Trophy
Irani Trophy
The Irani Cup tournament was conceived during the 1959-60 season to mark the completion of 25 years of the Ranji Trophy championship and was named after the late Z.R. Irani, who was associated with the Board of Control for Cricket in India from its inception in 1928, till his death in 1970...
match scoring 62 runs coming in at number 8. He also took 5 catches in the game where Karnataka
Karnataka cricket team
Karnataka cricket team is a cricket team that represents the Indian state of Karnataka in domestic first class cricket. One of the strongest teams in the Ranji Trophy Elite Group, it has produced many of the Indian cricket team's leading players throughout its existence...
was defeated by the Rest of India XI. Kapil Dev arrived in the national spotlight with a trademark standout performance in the finals of the Duleep Trophy
Duleep Trophy
The Duleep Trophy is a domestic first-class cricket competition played in India between teams representing geographical zones of India. The competition is named after Kumar Shri Duleepsinhji .-History:...
taking a first innings haul of 7/65 in 24 overs. Kapil was included in the North Zone
North Zone cricket team
The North Zone cricket team is a first-class cricket team that represents northern India in the Duleep Trophy. It is a composite team of players from six first-class Indian teams from northern India competing in the Ranji Trophy: Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and...
squad for Deodhar Trophy
Deodhar Trophy
The current List A cricket competition in Indian domestic cricket is the Deodhar Trophy. It is named after Prof. D. B. Deodhar and is a 50-over knockout competition played on an annual basis among the 5 zonal teams - North Zone, South Zone, East Zone, West Zone and Central Zone...
and Wills Trophy for the first time. He played his first Test match in the season against Pakistan
Pakistani cricket team
The Pakistan cricket team is the national cricket team of Pakistan. Pakistan, represented by the Pakistan Cricket Board , is a full member of the International Cricket Council, and thus participates in , and cricket matches....
In the 1979–80 season, Kapil showed his batting talent with a maiden century against Delhi
Delhi cricket team
The Delhi cricket team is one of the first-class cricket teams, that plays in India's domestic competition, the Ranji Trophy. They have won the tournament seven times and have been runners-up seven. Their latest title in 2007-08 came after a long wait of 16 years. The previous win was in the...
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 cricket team
The Uttar Pradesh cricket team is a cricket team which is based in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The team competes in the Ranji Trophy and won the tournament in 2005-06. They have only won 1 Ranji Trophy and have been runner-up twice. Young talents such as Mohammad Kaif, Suresh Raina, Piyush...
, he took a five wicket haul in the second innings to advance to quarter finals where they lost to Karnataka. With Kapil cementing his place in the Indian national squad, his appearances in domestic matches dwindled.
Haryana:- 1990–91 Ranji champions
In the 1990–91 Ranji season, HaryanaHaryana cricket team
The Haryana cricket team is a domestic cricket team based in the Indian state of Haryana. The team is run by the Haryana Cricket Association. In recent times it hasn't been very successful in the Ranji Trophy circuit. In the past, however, it has produced some of the biggest superstars to go on to...
rode into the semi-finals on the back of the bowling performance of Chetan Sharma
Chetan Sharma
Chetan Sharma was a medium pace bowler who represented India at cricket.Sharma was coached by Desh Prem Azad, a Dronacharya Award winner, who was also the mentor of Kapil Dev...
and the batting performance of Amarjit Kaypee
Amarjit Kaypee
Amarjit Kaypee is an Indian former cricketer. He was primarily a right-handed batsman, and he held the record for the most runs scored in the Ranji Trophy, India's premier domestic first-class cricket competition for a number of years before Amol Muzumdar took the record in 2009...
. Kapil took centre stage in the semi-final against Bengal
Bengal cricket team
Bengal cricket team is considered Eastern India's strongest cricket team, it is the Elite Group of the Ranji Trophy and were runners-up twice consecutively in the 2005-06 and the 2006-07 season. Their ranks are occasionally bolstered by the return of Sourav Ganguly to the domestic competition...
, 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 were part of the match with Kapil Dev, Chetan Sharma, Ajay Jadeja
Ajay Jadeja
Ajaysinhji Daulatsinhji Jadeja was born on 1 February 1971 in royal rajput family of Jamnagar, Gujarat. He was a regular in the Indian cricket team between 1992 and 2000, playing in 15 Test matches and 196 One Day Internationals. His cricketing achievements were overshadowed by a 5 year ban for...
and Vijay Yadav
Vijay Yadav
Vijay Yadav is a former cricketer. A wicketkeeper and an aggressive lower-order batsman, Yadav played 19 One Day Internationals from 1992 to 1994 and appeared once for India in Test cricket....
turning up for Haryana and Bombay cricket team represented by Sanjay Manjrekar
Sanjay Manjrekar
Sanjay Vijay Manjrekar is a former Indian cricketer. He has a batting average of 37.14 in his 37 Tests between 1987/88 and 1996/97, as opposed to an overall first-class average of 55...
, Vinod Kambli
Vinod Kambli
Vinod Ganpat Kambli is a former Indian cricketer, who played for India as a middle order batsman, as well as for Mumbai and Boland, South Africa.He is childhood friend of ace cricketer Sachin Tendulkar...
, Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar is an Indian cricketer widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket. He is the leading run-scorer and century maker in Test and one-day international cricket. He is the only male player to score a double century in the history of ODI cricket...
, Dilip Vengsarkar
Dilip Vengsarkar
Dilip Balwant Vengsarkar is an Indian cricketer and cricket administrator. He was one of the most stylish batsmen of his time, known as one of the foremost exponents of the drive. He was also known by the nickname 'Colonel'....
, Chandrakant Pandit
Chandrakant Pandit
Chandrakant Sitaram Pandit is a former Indian cricketer who played in 5 Tests and 36 ODIs from 1986 to 1992. After his retirement as a player, Pandit became a cricket coach, enjoying successful stints with the Mumbai cricket team.In the 1980s he was given the status of second wicketkeeper behind...
, Salil Ankola
Salil Ankola
Salil Ashok Ankola is a former Indian cricketer who played in one Test and 20 ODIs from 1989 to 1997. He was a member of the Indian cricket team for the 1996 Cricket World Cup....
and Abey Kuruvilla
Abey Kuruvilla
Abey Kuruvilla is a former Indian pace bowler of the mid 1990s.Kuruvilla stood a towering tall and coupled with his broad frame cut an imposing figure on the field....
. Deepak Sharma (199), Ajay Jadeja (94) and Chetan Sharma (98) helped Haryana to a score of 522 while Yogendra Bhandari (5 wickets) and Kapil Dev (3 wickets) restricted Bombay to 410 runs in the first innings. A crucial 41 from Kapil 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. Kapil won his maiden and only Ranji Trophy championship.
International career
Early Years (1978–1982)
Kapil made his Test cricketTest cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
debut in Faisalabad
Faisalabad
Faisalabad , formerly known as Lyallpur, is the third largest metropolis in Pakistan, the second largest in the province of Punjab after Lahore, and a major industrial center in the heart of Pakistan. Before the foundation of the city in 1880, the area was very thinly populated. The population has...
, Pakistan on 16 October 1978. Although his match figures were unimpressive, the numbers did not convey any measure of Kapil's contribution in the match. With his speed and bounce, he brought glee to the Indian players as the Pakistani batsmen were startled with bouncers that struck their helmets on more than one occasion. Kapil also captured his maiden wicket of Sadiq Mohammad
Sadiq Mohammad
Sadiq Mohammad is a former Pakistani cricketer and younger brother of the great Pakistani batsmen Hanif and Mushtaq. His Test debut was the first Test between Pakistan and New Zealand in 1969, and he played his final Test in the 4th Test against the West Indies in 1981. He played county cricket...
with his trademark outswinger. He showcased his all-rounder
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 few batsmen do bowl occasionally, most players are skilled in only one of the two disciplines and are considered specialists...
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
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
at National Stadium, Karachi
National Stadium, Karachi
The National Stadium is a cricket stadium in Karachi, Pakistan. It is currently used for cricket matches, and is home to Karachi's domestic cricket teams. The stadium is able to hold 34,228 spectators, making it the second largest cricket stadium in Pakistan after Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore...
, although India lost the match and the series 2–0. In the ensuring series against a visiting West Indies team, he scored his maiden Test century (126) at Feroz Shah Kotla
Feroz Shah Kotla
The Feroz Shah Kotla or Kotla was originally a fortress built by Sultan Ferozshah Tughlaq to house his version of Delhi city called Ferozabad. A pristine polished sandstone pillar from the 3rd century B.C...
, Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
in just 124 balls and had a steady bowling performance (17 wickets at 33.00). Ominous signs of Kapil's liking for England showed up in the ensuring series, his first outside the sub-continent. Kapil 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. Kapil 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 Kapil and India
Indian cricket team
The Indian cricket team is the national cricket team of India. Governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India , it is a full member of the International Cricket Council with Test and One Day International status....
had a poor campaign at the 1979 Cricket World Cup
1979 Cricket World Cup
The 1979 Cricket World Cup was the second edition of the tournament and was won by the West Indies. It was held from June 9 to June 23, 1979 in England. The format had remained unchanged from 1975. Eight countries participated in the event. The preliminary matches were played in 2 groups of 4...
.
Kapil Dev established himself as India's premier fast bowler when he took two 5-wicket hauls and ended the home series against Australia
Australian cricket team
The Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. It is the joint oldest team in Test cricket, having played in the first Test match in 1877...
with 28 wickets (Average: 22.32) and also 212 runs that included a half-century. Kapil Dev gained fame in the 6-Test home series against Pakistan
Pakistani cricket team
The Pakistan cricket team is the national cricket team of Pakistan. Pakistan, represented by the Pakistan Cricket Board , is a full member of the International Cricket Council, and thus participates in , and cricket matches....
in the 1979–80 season when he led India to 2 victories against the visitors – once with the bat (69) at Wankhede Stadium, Bombay (Now Mumbai)
Wankhede Stadium
The Sheshrao Krushnarao Wankhede Stadium is a cricket stadium in the Indian city of Mumbai. This ground was built after disputes between the Cricket Club of India, which owns the Brabourne Stadium, and the Mumbai Cricket Association over the allocation of tickets for cricket matches...
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)
M. A. Chidambaram Stadium
The M. A. Chidambaram Stadium is a cricket stadium in Chennai , India, named after M. A. Chidambaram, the former President of BCCI and the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association. The stadium was formerly known as Madras Cricket Club Ground or Chepauk Stadium. Commonly known as Chepauk, its first match was...
. Kapil rates his all-round performance in this match as his best bowling effort in his career, 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 Botham
Sir Ian Terence Botham OBE is a former England Test cricketer and Test team captain, and current cricket commentator. He was a genuine all-rounder with 14 centuries and 383 wickets in Test cricket, and remains well-known by his nickname "Beefy"...
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
Indian cricket team
The Indian cricket team is the national cricket team of India. Governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India , it is a full member of the International Cricket Council with Test and One Day International status....
tour of Australia
Australian cricket team
The Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. It is the joint oldest team in Test cricket, having played in the first Test match in 1877...
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 Kapil Dev virtually ruled out with a groin injury. When Australia finished the fourth day at 18/3, Kapil willed himself to play the final day with pain-killing injections and removed the dangerous Australia middle order. Kapil 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 cricket team
The New Zealand cricket team, nicknamed the Black Caps, are the national cricket team representing New Zealand. They played their first in 1930 against England in Christchurch, New Zealand, becoming the fifth country to play Test cricket. It took the team until 1955–56 to win a Test, against the...
at Brisbane
Brisbane Cricket Ground
The Brisbane Cricket Ground, commonly known as The Gabba, is a major sports stadium in Brisbane, the capital of Queensland. It is named after the suburb of Woolloongabba, in which it is located....
. 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 cricket team
The New Zealand cricket team, nicknamed the Black Caps, are the national cricket team representing New Zealand. They played their first in 1930 against England in Christchurch, New Zealand, becoming the fifth country to play Test cricket. It took the team until 1955–56 to win a Test, against the...
tour later, Kapil Dev was ready for the 1981–82 home series against England where his five-wicket haul won the first test at Wankhede Stadium, Bombay (Now Mumbai)
Wankhede Stadium
The Sheshrao Krushnarao Wankhede Stadium is a cricket stadium in the Indian city of Mumbai. This ground was built after disputes between the Cricket Club of India, which owns the Brabourne Stadium, and the Mumbai Cricket Association over the allocation of tickets for cricket matches...
. Kapil 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 Kapil in the ensuing series at home against the Indian cricket team
Indian cricket team
The Indian cricket team is the national cricket team of India. Governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India , it is a full member of the International Cricket Council with Test and One Day International status....
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
Lord's Cricket Ground is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and Wales Cricket Board , the European Cricket Council and, until August 2005, the...
. Kapil Dev 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 Lankan cricket team
The Sri Lankan cricket team is the national cricket team of Sri Lanka. The team first played international cricket in 1926–27, and were later awarded Test status in 1981, which made Sri Lanka the eighth Test cricket playing nation...
for the first time, Kapil helped himself to a five-wicket haul to kick start the 1982–83 season. In the following tour to Pakistan, Kapil and Mohinder Amarnath
Mohinder Amarnath
Mohinder Amarnath Bhardwaj is a former Indian cricketer and current cricket analyst. He is commonly known as "Jimmy". He is the son of Lala Amarnath, the first post-independence captain of India. His brother Surinder Amarnath was a Test player...
were the only bright spots in a series dominated by rival all-rounder
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 few batsmen do bowl occasionally, most players are skilled in only one of the two disciplines and are considered specialists...
Imran Khan
Imran Khan
Imran Khan Niazi is a Pakistani politician and former Pakistani cricketer, playing international cricket for two decades in the late twentieth century. After retiring, he entered politics...
(40 wickets and 1 century). Kapil took a 5/102 haul in the second Test at National Stadium, Karachi
National Stadium, Karachi
The National Stadium is a cricket stadium in Karachi, Pakistan. It is currently used for cricket matches, and is home to Karachi's domestic cricket teams. The stadium is able to hold 34,228 spectators, making it the second largest cricket stadium in Pakistan after Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore...
, 7/220 in the third Test at Iqbal Stadium
Iqbal Stadium
Iqbal Stadium is a Test cricket ground in Faisalabad, Pakistan. Previous names for the ground include Lyallpur Stadium, National Stadium, and City Stadium. The current name honours Pakistani poet Sir Allama Muhammad Iqbal. Capacity is 25,000. It has hosted 25 Test matches and 14 One Day...
, Faisalabad
Faisalabad
Faisalabad , formerly known as Lyallpur, is the third largest metropolis in Pakistan, the second largest in the province of Punjab after Lahore, and a major industrial center in the heart of Pakistan. Before the foundation of the city in 1880, the area was very thinly populated. The population has...
and 8/85 at Gaddafi Stadium
Gaddafi Stadium
Gaddafi Stadium is a cricket ground in Lahore, Pakistan. It was designed by Daghestani-born architect and engineer Nasreddin Murat-Khan who also designed Lahore's Minar-e-Pakistan and constructed by Mian Abdul Khaliq and Company in 1959. Following the ground's renovation for the 1996 Cricket World...
, Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
while he received little support from other team members. After this disastrous tour, Kapil was made the captain
Captain (cricket)
The captain of a cricket team often referred to as the skipper is the appointed leader, having several additional roles and responsibilities over and above those of a regular player...
of the Indian cricket team
Indian cricket team
The Indian cricket team is the national cricket team of India. Governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India , it is a full member of the International Cricket Council with Test and One Day International status....
in place of Sunil Gavaskar
Sunil Gavaskar
Sunil Manohar "Sunny" Gavaskar is a former cricketer who played during the 1970s and 1980s for Bombay and India. Widely regarded as one of the greatest opening batsmen in cricket history, Gavaskar set world records during his career for the most Test runs and most Test centuries scored by any...
.
Captain: 1983 World Cup Champions (1982–1984)
Kapil Dev debuted as India's captain in the 1982–83 season against Sri LankaSri Lankan cricket team
The Sri Lankan cricket team is the national cricket team of Sri Lanka. The team first played international cricket in 1926–27, and were later awarded Test status in 1981, which made Sri Lanka the eighth Test cricket playing nation...
(before the Pakistan tour) when 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 (72) and Gavaskar (90) led India to a huge score – 282/5 in 47 overs and Kapil'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
1983 Cricket World Cup
The 1983 ICC Cricket World Cup was the third edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup tournament. It was held from 9 June to 25 June 1983 in England and was won by India. Eight countries participated in the event. The preliminary matches were played in two groups of four teams each, and each...
. 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 (Average: 24.94).
1983 World Cup Performance
Kapil 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 AfricaEast African cricket team
The East African cricket team was a cricket team representing Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Zambia. Their first game was against a South African Non-European team in 1958. East Africa appeared in the 1975 World Cup- represented by players from Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia; and the 1979, 1982...
in 1975
1975 Cricket World Cup
-Group B:-Knockout stage:-Semifinals:In the best World Cup performance to date by a bowler, Gary Gilmour took six wickets as England were bowled all out for 93 , after falling to 37/7...
. Riding on Yashpal Sharma
Yashpal Sharma
Yashpal Sharma is a former Indian cricketer. He was a middle order batsman who played at the turn of the 1980s.-Early career:...
(89 Runs), Roger Binny
Roger Binny
Roger Michael Humphrey Binny is an Indian former cricket all-rounder who is best known for his impressive bowling performance in the 1983 Cricket World Cup where he was the highest wicket-taker , and in the 1985 World Series Cricket Championship in Australia where he repeated this feat .Binny...
and Ravi Shastri
Ravi Shastri
Ravishankar Jayadritha Shastri is a former Indian cricketer and captain. He was an all–rounder who batted right-handed and bowled left arm spin. His international career started when he was 18 years old and lasted for 12 years...
(3 wickets each), India inflicted the West Indies' first-ever defeat in the World Cup. Following a victory against Zimbabwe, India lost the next two matches – Australia (despite Kapil Dev's best career figures of 5/43) and West Indies. India now needed victories against Australia and Zimbabwe to advance to semi-finals.
India faced Zimbabwe at Nevill Ground
Nevill Ground
The Nevill Ground is a cricket venue located in Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent. It played host to one One Day International during the 1983 Cricket World Cup, the group stage match between India and Zimbabwe in which Kapil Dev played an epic knock of 175*....
, Royal Tunbridge Wells
Royal Tunbridge Wells
Royal Tunbridge Wells is a town in west Kent, England, about south-east of central London by road, by rail. The town is close to the border of the county of East Sussex...
on 18 June 1983
under overcast conditions. India won the toss and elected to bat. Disaster struck as the top order started a procession back to the dressing room as Gavaskar (0), Kris Srikkanth (0), Mohinder Amarnath
Mohinder Amarnath
Mohinder Amarnath Bhardwaj is a former Indian cricketer and current cricket analyst. He is commonly known as "Jimmy". He is the son of Lala Amarnath, the first post-independence captain of India. His brother Surinder Amarnath was a Test player...
(5) and Sandeep Patil
Sandeep Patil
Sandeep Madhusudan Patil is a former Indian cricketer, Indian national age group cricket manager and former Kenya national team coach, who made the minnows reach the semi-final of the 2003 World Cup. He was a hard-hitting middle order batsman and an occasional medium pace bowler...
(1) leaving India at a precarious 9/4 that turned to 17/5 when Yashpal Sharma
Yashpal Sharma
Yashpal Sharma is a former Indian cricketer. He was a middle order batsman who played at the turn of the 1980s.-Early career:...
(9) was dismissed. Batting with the lower order batsmen, Kapil Dev stabilised the side with a 60-run partnership with Roger Binny
Roger Binny
Roger Michael Humphrey Binny is an Indian former cricket all-rounder who is best known for his impressive bowling performance in the 1983 Cricket World Cup where he was the highest wicket-taker , and in the 1985 World Series Cricket Championship in Australia where he repeated this feat .Binny...
(22 runs) and a 62-run partnership with Madan Lal
Madan Lal
Madan Lal Udhouram Sharma is a former Indian cricketer and Indian national cricket coach. He currently coaches Delhi Giants in the Indian Cricket League...
. When Syed Kirmani
Syed Kirmani
Padma Sri Syed Mujtaba Hussain Kirmani played cricket for India and Karnataka as a wicket-keeper.-International career:...
walked in at 140/8, Kapil Dev had scored his half-century and went on to score his century off 100 balls. Together with Kirmani (22 runs), Kapil put on an unbeaten 126 runs for the 9th wicket – a world record that stood unbroken for 27 years (10000 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 compiled by Wisden
Wisden
The Wisden Group was a group of companies formed by John Wisden & Co Ltd, publishers of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack. As well as John Wisden & Co, the group included the The Wisden Cricketer magazine, Cricinfo – the world's highest traffic cricket website – and the Hawk-Eye computerised...
in February 2002 at No. 4. India won the match by 31 runs. After a win against Australia, India entered the semi-finals.
In the semi-finals India faced the English cricket team. Kapil helped curtail the lower-order after England lost regular wickets to Roger Binny and Mohinder Amarnath
Mohinder Amarnath
Mohinder Amarnath Bhardwaj is a former Indian cricketer and current cricket analyst. He is commonly known as "Jimmy". He is the son of Lala Amarnath, the first post-independence captain of India. His brother Surinder Amarnath was a Test player...
. He took 3 wickets as India limited England to 213 and the middle order of Mohinder Amarnath
Mohinder Amarnath
Mohinder Amarnath Bhardwaj is a former Indian cricketer and current cricket analyst. He is commonly known as "Jimmy". He is the son of Lala Amarnath, the first post-independence captain of India. His brother Surinder Amarnath was a Test player...
(46 runs), Yashpal Sharma
Yashpal Sharma
Yashpal Sharma is a former Indian cricketer. He was a middle order batsman who played at the turn of the 1980s.-Early career:...
(61), Sandeep Patil
Sandeep Patil
Sandeep Madhusudan Patil is a former Indian cricketer, Indian national age group cricket manager and former Kenya national team coach, who made the minnows reach the semi-final of the 2003 World Cup. He was a hard-hitting middle order batsman and an occasional medium pace bowler...
(51*) ensured victory and entry into the finals to take on the mighty West Indies cricket team who were looking for a hat-trick of World Cup titles. West Indies restricted India for 183 runs, with only Kris Srikkanth (38 runs) providing some scoring relief. Despite losing Gordon Greenidge
Gordon Greenidge
Cuthbert Gordon Greenidge MBE is a former member of the West Indies cricket team.Greenidge was an opening batsman for the West Indies. He began his Test career against India at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore in 1974 and continued playing internationally until 1991. He was half of the West...
, West Indies steadied their innings to 57/2 on the back of quick scoring by Viv Richards
Viv Richards
Sir Isaac Vivian Alexander Richards, KNH, OBE is a former West Indian cricketer. Better known by his second name, Vivian or, more popularly, simply as Viv or King Viv Richards was voted one of the five Cricketers of the Century in 2000, by a 100-member panel of experts, along with Sir Donald...
and looked comfortable. Richards played one too many aggressive shots when he skied a pull shot from Madan Lal
Madan Lal
Madan Lal Udhouram Sharma is a former Indian cricketer and Indian national cricket coach. He currently coaches Delhi Giants in the Indian Cricket League...
that Kapil caught at deep square leg after running for over 20 yards. The catch is attributed as the turning point in the 1983 WC Final
1983 Cricket World Cup
The 1983 ICC Cricket World Cup was the third edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup tournament. It was held from 9 June to 25 June 1983 in England and was won by India. Eight countries participated in the event. The preliminary matches were played in two groups of four teams each, and each...
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 Kapil picking up the wicket of Andy Roberts. Kapil Dev had upset Clive Lloyd's West Indies to win Indias's maiden World Cup and he led from the front with 303 runs (Average: 60.6), 12 wickets (Average: 20.41) and 7 catches in 8 matches – a truly all-round performance.
Post World Cup
After the World Cup, India hosted the West Indies cricket team and felt their fury as the tourists won the Test series 3–0 and the ODI Series 6–0. Kapil 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 the Kapil's reign by reappointing Gavaskar as captain in early 1984.Difficult captaincy
Kapil was reappointed captain in March 1985, and guided India on a Test series win over England on their tour in 1986. This period saw one of the most famous matches played during his reign, the second Tied Test, in which he was named joint-man of the matchMan of the match
In sport, a Man of the Match or Player of the Game or Man of the Series award is given to the outstanding player, almost always the one who makes the most impact, in a particular match or series. The term was originally used more often in cricket before being adopted by other sports. This can be a...
with Australian batsman Dean Jones
Dean Jones (cricketer)
Dean Mervyn Jones AM is a retired Australian cricketer, and is presently a coach. He also worked as a media commentator.-Career:...
.
Kapil was retained as captain for the 1987 Cricket World Cup
1987 Cricket World Cup
The 1987 Cricket World Cup was the fourth edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup tournament. It was held from October 8 to November 8, 1987 in India and Pakistan — the first held outside England. The format was unchanged from 1983 except for a reduction in the number of overs a team played from 60...
. In their first match, Australia scored 268 against India. However, after the close of innings, Kapil 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, 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. Kapil 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, even though 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 have since insisted that these reports were exaggerated. Above all the controversy, Kapil's performance was better when he was the Captain, than as a player underline that, he enjoyed and suited captaincy.
Bowling style
By the end of 1983, Kapil 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 majestic jump at the crease. Despite this setback, he never missed playing a single test or one-day game on fitness grounds (save for his disciplinary ouster in the 3rd test at Calcutta during the 1984/85 series against England). He continued to be effective, if not devastating, for another ten years and became the second bowler ever to take 400 wicketWicket
In the sport of cricket the word wicket has several distinct meanings:-Definitions of wicket:Most of the time, the wicket is one of the two sets of three stumps and two bails at either end of the pitch...
s in Test cricket in 1991–92 when he took Mark Taylor
Mark Taylor (cricketer)
Mark Anthony Taylor, AO is a former Australian cricket player and Test opening batsman from 1988–1999, as well as captain from 1994–1999, succeeding Allan Border...
's wicket in a series versus Australia in Australia. In that Australian tour he took 25 wickets.
Final years
Kapil 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 HemmingsEddie Hemmings (cricketer)
Edward Ernest Hemmings is a former English cricketer, who played in sixteen Tests and thirty three ODIs for England from 1982 to 1991. He made his England debut relatively late in his career, at the age of 33, having predominantly represented Nottinghamshire in the County Championship...
for four sixes in succession to take India past the follow-on target. This match also featured the highest test score by an Englishman against India, 333 by Graham Gooch
Graham Gooch
Graham Alan Gooch OBE DL is a former 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, he became the most prolific run scorer of all time with 67,057 runs...
. He was also cited by umpire Dickie Bird as being one of the greatest all-rounders of all-time.
He also became a valuable batsman in the ODI version of the game, being used as a pinch-hitter to accelerate the run-scoring rate, usually in the final ten overs, and relied upon to stabilise the innings in lieu of a collapse. He played in the 1992 Cricket World Cup
1992 Cricket World Cup
-New Zealand:-Round Robin Stage:Co-hosts New Zealand proved the surprise packet of the tournament, winning their first seven games to finish on top of the table after the round robin. The other hosts, Australia, were one of the pre-tournament favourites but lost their first two matches. They...
, which was his last, under the captaincy of Mohammad Azharuddin
Mohammad Azharuddin
Mohammad Azharuddin also known as Azhar, is an Indian politician and former cricketer. He was an accomplished batsman and captained the Indian cricket team for much of the 1990s, until his involvement in a match-fixing scandal forced him into retirement...
. He led the bowling attack with younger talents like Javagal Srinath
Javagal Srinath
Javagal Srinath is a former Indian cricketer. He was a frontline fast bowler for the Indian cricket team until his retirement, being the second Indian pace bowler after Kapil Dev to take 200 Test wickets. One ball that he bowled during the 1996 tour of South Africa measured...
and Manoj Prabhakar
Manoj Prabhakar
Manoj Prabhakar is a former Indian cricketer. He was a right-arm medium-pace bowler and a lower-order batsman who also opened the innings sometimes for the Indian cricket team until his retirement in 1995–96. He was banned by the BCCI for his involvement in match fixing scandals...
, who would eventually succeed him as India's leading pace bowlers. He formally retired in 1994, after formally breaking Richard Hadlee
Richard Hadlee
Sir Richard John Hadlee, MBE is a former New Zealand cricketer who played provincial cricket for Canterbury, Nottinghamshire and Tasmania. He is the son of Walter Hadlee, and the brother of Dayle and Barry Hadlee. His former wife Karen also played international cricket for New Zealand.Hadlee was...
's record for most Test wickets – Hadlee sent a message of congratulations immediately after Kapil took the record-breaking wicket
India's National Cricket Coach
Kapil was appointed coach of the Indian national cricket team in 1999, succeeding Anshuman GaekwadAnshuman Gaekwad
Anshuman Dattajirao Gaekwad is a former Indian cricketer and two-time Indian national cricket coach. He played in 40 Test matches and 15 One Day Internationals....
. 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 considered a disappointment. At the height of the match fixing allegation by Manoj Prabhakar
Manoj Prabhakar
Manoj Prabhakar is a former Indian cricketer. He was a right-arm medium-pace bowler and a lower-order batsman who also opened the innings sometimes for the Indian cricket team until his retirement in 1995–96. He was banned by the BCCI for his involvement in match fixing scandals...
– a charge that was dismissed later, Kapil 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 batsman John Wright
John Wright (cricketer)
John Geoffrey Wright is a former international cricketer representing - and captaining - New Zealand, and, following his retirement in 1993, coaching the Indian national cricket team from 2000 to 2005. He made his international debut in 1978 against England...
, who became India's first foreign coach.
Return to Cricket
After a period of silence away from the public eye, Kapil returned to cricket when WisdenWisden
The Wisden Group was a group of companies formed by John Wisden & Co Ltd, publishers of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack. As well as John Wisden & Co, the group included the The Wisden Cricketer magazine, Cricinfo – the world's highest traffic cricket website – and the Hawk-Eye computerised...
announced him as one of the sixteen finalists for the Wisden Indian Cricketer of the Century award in July 2002. Kapil pipped long time team-mate Gavaskar and crowd favourite Tendulkar to win the award and claimed the moment as "my finest hour".
Kapil 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, Kapil Dev was nominated as the chairman of National Cricket Academy
National Cricket Academy
The National Cricket Academy located in Chinnaswamy Stadium Bangalore, Karnataka in India, established in 2000 is a cricket facility of the Board of Control for Cricket in India for training young cricketers who are identified as having the potential to represent the Indian cricket team...
for a 2 year period.
In 2005, he acted in a brief role in the Cult Movie Iqbal written by Vipul K Rawal
Vipul K Rawal
-Early years:Born on 7th November, 1968 in the former princely state of Wadhwan, Vipul K Rawal did his schooling from a Military School in Dehradun and later in Vapi, Gujarat. It was during his college days in Madras, that the filmy bug really bit him. His college was situated in Kodambakkam, also...
where he played himself. Initially the director was not keen on approaching him, however the writer Vipul K Rawal put his foot down as the role was written especially keeping him in mind.
In May 2007, Kapil joined the upstart Indian Cricket League
Indian Cricket League
The Indian Cricket League was a private cricket league funded by Zee Entertainment Enterprises that operated between 2007 and 2009 in India...
(ICL) floated by Zee TV
Zee TV
Zee TV is an India-based satellite television channel owned by Zee Entertainment Enterprises based in Mumbai, Maharashtra, which broadcasts various programmes in Hindi and other regional languages of India. Broadcasting is also present in various nations of South Asia, Europe, the Middle East,...
(which the IPL copied) 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 have joined ICL, including Kapil. on 21 August 2007, Kapil was removed from the chairmanship of the National Cricket Academy
National Cricket Academy
The National Cricket Academy located in Chinnaswamy Stadium Bangalore, Karnataka in India, established in 2000 is a cricket facility of the Board of Control for Cricket in India for training young cricketers who are identified as having the potential to represent the Indian cricket team...
, a day after he addressed a formal press conference of the new Indian Cricket League
Indian Cricket League
The Indian Cricket League was a private cricket league funded by Zee Entertainment Enterprises that operated between 2007 and 2009 in India...
.
Charity Work
Kapil Dev along with other philanthropists started an NGO named KHUSHII(Kinship for Humanitarian Social and Holistic Intervention) in 2005 and heads it as Chairman at present. KHUSHII runs three schools for the less privileged in Delhi and provides education, mid-day meals and clothing to them. In the past, KHUSHII has worked in Neemrana district covering 97 villages and running programmes like family planning, health camps etc.and also started the first Telemedicine hospital there. Khushii has widened its intervention activities. Working towards its vision of transforming lives globally, Khushii has launched- “World Action Forum” – an umbrella charitable body which supports competent NGOs to further mutually beneficial outreach programs under controlled quality management and complete transparency. It would be a body that collectively works towards global rehabilitation. All the organisations joining WAF will be able to learn and jointly raise funds creating a body rich in expertise and finance to enable and sustain our endeavor towards welfare of the less privileged round the globe.Kapil Dev is actively involved in supporting the needy through his NGO KHUSHII with its office in New Delhi.Joining Territorial Army
On 24 September 2008 Kapil Dev joined the Indian Territorial ArmyIndian Territorial Army
The Territorial Army in India is an organization of volunteers who receive military training for a few days in a year so that in case of an emergency they can be mobilized for the defence of the country....
and was commissioned as a Lieutenant Colonel
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
by General Deepak Kapoor
Deepak Kapoor
General Deepak Kapoor PVSM, AVSM, SM, VSM, ADC was the 25th Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army, appointed on 30 September 2007 and Chairman, Chiefs of Staffs Committee appointed on 31 August 2009....
, Chief of the Army Staff
Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army
The Chief of the Army Staff is the commander and usually the highest-ranking officer of the Indian Army. The position is abbreviated as COAS in Indian Army cables and communication....
. He joined as an honorary officer.
Personal life
He was introduced to Romi Bhatia by a common friend in 1979 and proposed to her in 1980. The couple married in 1980 and had a daughter, Amiya Dev, on 16 January 1996.After retirement from cricket in 1994, Kapil Dev took up golf. Kapil was the only Asian founding member of Laureus Foundation in 2000. Ian Botham
Ian Botham
Sir Ian Terence Botham OBE is a former England Test cricketer and Test team captain, and current cricket commentator. He was a genuine all-rounder with 14 centuries and 383 wickets in Test cricket, and remains well-known by his nickname "Beefy"...
and Viv Richards
Viv Richards
Sir Isaac Vivian Alexander Richards, KNH, OBE is a former West Indian cricketer. Better known by his second name, Vivian or, more popularly, simply as Viv or King Viv Richards was voted one of the five Cricketers of the Century in 2000, by a 100-member panel of experts, along with Sir Donald...
were the other two cricketers on the founding member council of 40. Steve Waugh
Steve Waugh
Stephen Rodger "Steve" Waugh, AO is a former Australian cricketer and fraternal twin of cricketer Mark Waugh. A right-handed batsman, he was also a successful medium-pace bowler...
was added to the Academy members in 2006 when it was expanded from 40 to 42. He has written three autobiographical works. By God's Decree came out in 1985 and Cricket my style in 1987. He released his most recent autobiography, titled Straight from the Heart in 2004 (ISBN 1403-92227-6).
Business Interests
- In 2005, Kapil picked up 5% stake in Zicom Electronics
- Kapil owns the Kapil's Eleven (2006) restaurants in ChandigarhChandigarhChandigarh is a union territory of India that serves as the capital of two states, Haryana and Punjab. The name Chandigarh translates as "The Fort of Chandi". The name is from an ancient temple called Chandi Mandir, devoted to the Hindu goddess Chandi, in the city...
and PatnaPatnaPaṭnā , is the capital of the Indian state of Bihar and the second largest city in Eastern India . Patna is one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in the world...
. He also owns the Kaptain's Retreat Hotel (1983; renovated and reopened in 2002) in ChandigarhChandigarhChandigarh is a union territory of India that serves as the capital of two states, Haryana and Punjab. The name Chandigarh translates as "The Fort of Chandi". The name is from an ancient temple called Chandi Mandir, devoted to the Hindu goddess Chandi, in the city...
.
Kapil established a company Dev Musco Lighting Pvt Limited in partnership with Musco Lighting
Musco Lighting
Musco Lighting is an American privately owned company, based out of Oskaloosa, Iowa that is noted for providing permanent or temporary lighting at major sports events and stadiums including the Super Bowl and Olympics....
to install floodlights in major stadiums and sports venues in India. Floodlight projects include PCA Stadium, GCA Stadium, Brabourne Stadium
Brabourne Stadium
The Brabourne Stadium is a cricket ground in the Indian city of Mumbai. It is located on 90,000 square yards of reclaimed land along Marine Drive near Churchgate railway station in South Mumbai. The stadium is owned by the Cricket Club of India . Brabourne Stadium is India's first permanent...
, Barabati Stadium
Barabati Stadium
The Barabati Stadium is a cricket venue in the east Indian city of Cuttack, Orissa. It is home ground of Orissa cricket team and is operated by Orissa Cricket Association. The Barabati Stadium is one of the older grounds in India, having hosted several touring sides – including the MCC, the West...
, Sector 16 Stadium
Sector 16 Stadium
The Sector 16 Stadium is a cricket stadium in Chandigarh, India. It hosted its first ODI match on 27 January 1985 and its only Test match in 1990...
.
- Kapil has made cameo appearances in the films IqbalIqbal (movie)Iqbal is a 2005 Hindi Bollywood film written by Vipul K Rawal and directed by Nagesh Kukunoor and was released under Subhash Ghai's new banner, "Mukta Searchlight Films"....
, Chain Khuli ki Main Khuli and Mujhse Shadi Karogi
Endorsements
Kapil Dev has been actively courted by Indian businesses during and after his cricketing days as brand ambassador for their products because of the charisma that personifies the cricketer. Though not the first Indian cricketer to endorse brands, he was the first star brand on Indian Television with his Palmolive ka jawab nahin (Translation: Palmolive has no match). He also appears consistently on Headlines Today as a guest speaker. Other endorsments include:- PalmolivePalmolivePalmolive may refer to:* Palmolive , a brand of soap made by the Colgate-Palmolive company* Palmolive or Paloma Romero , Spanish-born drummer...
Shaving cream - BSA-SLRTI Cycles of IndiaTI Cycles of India is a bicycle manufacturer based in India. Established in 1949 by the Murugappa Group and Sir Ivan Stedeford of Tube Investments Group in UK, TI Cycles is the maker of brands like Hercules, BSA and Philips cycles. It has manufacturing plants at Ambattur near Chennai, Nasik in...
bicycles - Hero HondaHero HondaHero MotoCorp formerly Hero Honda is a motorcycle and scooter manufacturer based in India. Hero Honda started in 1984 as a joint venture between Hero Cycles of India and Honda of Japan. The company is the largest two wheeler manufacturer in India...
bikes - HajmolaDaburDabur derived from Daktar Burman) is India's largest Ayurvedic medicine manufacturer. Dabur's Ayurvedic Specialities Division has over 260 medicines for treating a range of ailments and body conditions-from common cold to chronic paralysis.-Sustainable Development Society:Sustainable Development...
– 1995 - Crocin Pain ReliefGlaxoSmithKlineGlaxoSmithKline plc is a global pharmaceutical, biologics, vaccines and consumer healthcare company headquartered in London, United Kingdom...
– 2005. - BoostGlaxoSmithKlineGlaxoSmithKline plc is a global pharmaceutical, biologics, vaccines and consumer healthcare company headquartered in London, United Kingdom...
(1980s & 1990s) - Sony SET MaxSony Entertainment Television (India)This article is about the SET channel in India. For the Indian version broadcasted worldwide, see Sony Entertainment Television Asia.Sony Entertainment Television, or SET, is a Hindi-language based general entertainment television channel in India. It was launched in October 1996 and is owned by...
– 2002. - Birla Sun-Life Insurance – 2006
- Chadha Group – 2006
- KineticKinetic Motor CompanyKinetic Engineering Limited is an automotive component manufacturer in India which formerly sold two-wheelers under the brand names Kinetic Honda and later Kinetic. In 2008, it stopped selling two-wheelers after entering into a joint venture with Mahindra Automobiles, where Mahindra held the major ...
– 2002 - Eastman Group – 2007
- Standard CharteredStandard Chartered BankStandard Chartered PLC is a multinational financial services company headquartered in London, United Kingdom with operations in more than seventy countries...
– 2003 - RadoRado (watch)Rado is a Swiss luxury manufacturer of watches, with headquarters in Lengnau, Switzerland. It is noted for its use of scratch-proof materials, a field in which it is considered a pioneer...
– 2000 - Jaypee Greens – 2002
- Omaxe Construction – 2003
- HaierHaierHaier Group is a multinational consumer electronics and home appliances company headquartered in Qingdao, Shandong, People's Republic of China. Its products include air conditioners, mobile phones, computers, microwave ovens, washing machines, refrigerators, and televisions...
– 2007 - Idea CellularIdea cellularIdea Cellular, usually referred to as Idea, is an Indian wireless telecom company based in Mumbai, India. Idea is the 3rd largest mobile services operator in India, in revenue terms, and recorded of over 98.4 million customers as of August 2011....
– 2011
Test cricket
- In early 1994, he became the highest Test wicket-taker in the world, breaking the record held by Sir Richard HadleeRichard HadleeSir Richard John Hadlee, MBE is a former New Zealand cricketer who played provincial cricket for Canterbury, Nottinghamshire and Tasmania. He is the son of Walter Hadlee, and the brother of Dayle and Barry Hadlee. His former wife Karen also played international cricket for New Zealand.Hadlee was...
. Kapil's record was broken by Courtney WalshCourtney WalshCourtney Andrew Walsh is a former international cricketer who represented the West Indies from 1984 to 2001, captaining the West Indies in 22 Test matches...
in 1999.
- Kapil is the only player to have achieved the all-rounder's double of 4,000 Test runs and 400 Test wickets.
ODI cricket
- In 1988, Kapil overtook Joel GarnerJoel GarnerJoel Garner , also known as "Big Joel" or "Big Bird", is a former West Indian cricketer, and a member of the highly regarded late 1970s and early '80s West Indies cricket teams....
to become the highest wicket-taker in ODI cricket. His final career tally of 253 wickets remained a record until it was broken by Wasim AkramWasim AkramWasim Akram is a former Pakistani left arm fast bowler and left-handed batsman in cricketer and model. who represented the Pakistan national cricket team in Test cricket and One Day International matches....
in 1994.
- According to the ICC cricket ratings for all-rounders in ODI cricket, Kapil's peak rating of 631 is the highest rating ever achieved. He reached this mark on 22 March 1985 after a World Series final against Pakistan in Australia.
Awards
- 1979–80 – Arjuna AwardArjuna awardThe Arjuna Awards were instituted in 1961 by the government of India to recognize outstanding achievement in National sports. The award carries a cash prize of 500,000, a bronze statuette of Arjuna and a scroll....
- 1982 – Padma ShriPadma ShriPadma Shri is the fourth highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan...
- 1983 – Wisden Cricketer of the Year
- 1991 – Padma BhushanPadma BhushanThe Padma Bhushan is the third highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan, but comes before the Padma Shri. It is awarded by the Government of India.-History:...
- 2002 – WisdenWisdenThe Wisden Group was a group of companies formed by John Wisden & Co Ltd, publishers of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack. As well as John Wisden & Co, the group included the The Wisden Cricketer magazine, Cricinfo – the world's highest traffic cricket website – and the Hawk-Eye computerised...
Indian Cricketer of the Century
- 2010 – ICC Cricket Hall of FameICC Cricket Hall of FameThe ICC Cricket Hall of Fame "recognises the achievements of the legends of the game from cricket's long and illustrious history". A hall of fame, it was launched by the International Cricket Council on 2 January 2009, in association with the Federation of International Cricketers'...
| Year | Honour | Honouring body |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Lieutenant Colonel Lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence... |
Indian Territorial Army Indian Territorial Army The Territorial Army in India is an organization of volunteers who receive military training for a few days in a year so that in case of an emergency they can be mobilized for the defence of the country.... |
Test Match Awards
Man of Series Awards| # | Series | Season | Series Performance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | England in India Indian cricket team The Indian cricket team is the national cricket team of India. Governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India , it is a full member of the International Cricket Council with Test and One Day International status.... |
1981–82 | 318 Runs (6 Matches, 8 Innings, 1x100, 1x50); 243.1–40–835–22 (2x5WI); 3 Catches |
| 2 | India Indian cricket team The Indian cricket team is the national cricket team of India. Governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India , it is a full member of the International Cricket Council with Test and One Day International status.... in England |
1982 | 292 Runs (3 Matches, 3 Innings, 3x50); 133–21–439–10 (1x5WI) |
| 3 | West Indies in India Indian cricket team The Indian cricket team is the national cricket team of India. Governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India , it is a full member of the International Cricket Council with Test and One Day International status.... |
1983–84 | 184 Runs (6 Matches, 11 Innings); 203.–43–537–29 (2x5WI, 1x10WM); 4 Catches |
| 4 | India Indian cricket team The Indian cricket team is the national cricket team of India. Governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India , it is a full member of the International Cricket Council with Test and One Day International status.... in Australia Australian cricket team The Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. It is the joint oldest team in Test cricket, having played in the first Test match in 1877... |
1985–86 | 135 Runs (3 Matches, 3 Innings, 1x50); 118–31–276–12 (1x5WI); 5 Catches |
Man of the Match Awards
| S No | Opponent | Venue | Season | Match Performance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | England | Wankhede, Mumbai Wankhede Stadium The Sheshrao Krushnarao Wankhede Stadium is a cricket stadium in the Indian city of Mumbai. This ground was built after disputes between the Cricket Club of India, which owns the Brabourne Stadium, and the Mumbai Cricket Association over the allocation of tickets for cricket matches... |
1981–82 | 1st Innings: 38 (8x4); 22–10–29–1 2nd Innings: 46 (5x4); 13.2–0–70–5 |
| 2 | England | Lord's, London Lord's Cricket Ground Lord's Cricket Ground is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and Wales Cricket Board , the European Cricket Council and, until August 2005, the... |
1982–83 | 1st Innings: 41 (4x4); 43–8–125–5 2nd Innings: 89 (13x4, 3x6); 10–1–43–3 |
| 3 | Pakistan Pakistani cricket team The Pakistan cricket team is the national cricket team of Pakistan. Pakistan, represented by the Pakistan Cricket Board , is a full member of the International Cricket Council, and thus participates in , and cricket matches.... |
Gadafi, Lahore Gaddafi Stadium Gaddafi Stadium is a cricket ground in Lahore, Pakistan. It was designed by Daghestani-born architect and engineer Nasreddin Murat-Khan who also designed Lahore's Minar-e-Pakistan and constructed by Mian Abdul Khaliq and Company in 1959. Following the ground's renovation for the 1996 Cricket World... |
1982–83 | 1st Innings: 30.5–7–85–8 |
| 4 | Australia Australian cricket team The Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. It is the joint oldest team in Test cricket, having played in the first Test match in 1877... |
Adelaide Oval, Adelaide Adelaide Oval The Adelaide Oval is a sports ground in Adelaide, South Australia, located in the parklands between the Central Business District and North Adelaide... |
1985–86 | 1st Innings: 38 (8x4); 38–6–106–8 2nd Innings: 3–1–3–0 |
| 5 | England | Lord's, London Lord's Cricket Ground Lord's Cricket Ground is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and Wales Cricket Board , the European Cricket Council and, until August 2005, the... |
1986 | 1st Innings: 1 Run; 31–8–67–1; 1 Catch 2nd Innings: 23*(4x4, 1x6); 22–7–52–5 |
| 6* | Australia Australian cricket team The Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. It is the joint oldest team in Test cricket, having played in the first Test match in 1877... |
Chepauk, Chennai M. A. Chidambaram Stadium The M. A. Chidambaram Stadium is a cricket stadium in Chennai , India, named after M. A. Chidambaram, the former President of BCCI and the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association. The stadium was formerly known as Madras Cricket Club Ground or Chepauk Stadium. Commonly known as Chepauk, its first match was... |
1986–87 | 1st Innings: 119 (21x4);18–5–52–0; 2 Catches 2nd Innings: 1 Run; 1–0–5–0 |
| 7 | Sri Lanka Sri Lankan cricket team The Sri Lankan cricket team is the national cricket team of Sri Lanka. The team first played international cricket in 1926–27, and were later awarded Test status in 1981, which made Sri Lanka the eighth Test cricket playing nation... |
Barabati, Cuttack Barabati Stadium The Barabati Stadium is a cricket venue in the east Indian city of Cuttack, Orissa. It is home ground of Orissa cricket team and is operated by Orissa Cricket Association. The Barabati Stadium is one of the older grounds in India, having hosted several touring sides – including the MCC, the West... |
1986–87 | 1st Innings: 60 Runs; 26–3–69–4; 2 Catches 2nd Innings: 16–4–36–1 |
| 8 | Pakistan Pakistani cricket team The Pakistan cricket team is the national cricket team of Pakistan. Pakistan, represented by the Pakistan Cricket Board , is a full member of the International Cricket Council, and thus participates in , and cricket matches.... |
National Stadium, Karachi National Stadium, Karachi The National Stadium is a cricket stadium in Karachi, Pakistan. It is currently used for cricket matches, and is home to Karachi's domestic cricket teams. The stadium is able to hold 34,228 spectators, making it the second largest cricket stadium in Pakistan after Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore... |
1989/90 | 1st Innings: 55 (8x4); 24–5–69–4 2nd Innings: 36–15–82–3 |
- *–Joint MoM Award with Dean JonesDean Jones (cricketer)Dean Mervyn Jones AM is a retired Australian cricketer, and is presently a coach. He also worked as a media commentator.-Career:...
in the tied Test MatchTest cricketTest cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
ODI Match Awards
Man of the Series Awards| # | Series (Opponents) | Season | Series Performance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texaco Trophy (India Indian cricket team The Indian cricket team is the national cricket team of India. Governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India , it is a full member of the International Cricket Council with Test and One Day International status.... in England ODI Series) |
1982 | 107 (2 Matches & 2 Innings, 1x50); 20–3–60–0 |
| 2 | Benson & Hedges World Series Cup (Australia, New Zealand New Zealand cricket team The New Zealand cricket team, nicknamed the Black Caps, are the national cricket team representing New Zealand. They played their first in 1930 against England in Christchurch, New Zealand, becoming the fifth country to play Test cricket. It took the team until 1955–56 to win a Test, against the... ) |
1985–86 | 202 Runs (9 Innings); 20/391; 7 Catches |
Man of the Match Awards
| S No | Opponent | Venue | Season | Match Performance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Zealand New Zealand cricket team The New Zealand cricket team, nicknamed the Black Caps, are the national cricket team representing New Zealand. They played their first in 1930 against England in Christchurch, New Zealand, becoming the fifth country to play Test cricket. It took the team until 1955–56 to win a Test, against the... |
Woolloongabba, Brisbane Brisbane Cricket Ground The Brisbane Cricket Ground, commonly known as The Gabba, is a major sports stadium in Brisbane, the capital of Queensland. It is named after the suburb of Woolloongabba, in which it is located.... |
1980–81 | 75 (51b, 9x4, 3x6); 10–0–37–1; 1 Catch |
| 2 | West Indies | Albion Sports Complex, Berbice Berbice Berbice is a region along the Berbice River in Guyana, which was between 1627 and 1815 a colony of the Netherlands. After having been ceded to the United Kingdom in the latter year, it was merged with Essequibo and Demerara to form the colony of British Guiana in 1831... , Guyana |
1982–83 | 72 (38b, 7x4, 3x6); 10–0–33–2; 2 Catches |
| 3 | Zimbabwe | Nevill Ground, Tunbridge Wells Royal Tunbridge Wells Royal Tunbridge Wells is a town in west Kent, England, about south-east of central London by road, by rail. The town is close to the border of the county of East Sussex... |
1983 | 175* (138b, 16x4, 6x6); 11–1–32–1; 2 Catches |
| 4 | England | VCA Ground, Nagpur | 1984–85 | 54 (41b, 3x4, 4x6); 10–1–42–1 |
| 5 | New Zealand New Zealand cricket team The New Zealand cricket team, nicknamed the Black Caps, are the national cricket team representing New Zealand. They played their first in 1930 against England in Christchurch, New Zealand, becoming the fifth country to play Test cricket. It took the team until 1955–56 to win a Test, against the... |
Woolloongabba, Brisbane Brisbane Cricket Ground The Brisbane Cricket Ground, commonly known as The Gabba, is a major sports stadium in Brisbane, the capital of Queensland. It is named after the suburb of Woolloongabba, in which it is located.... |
1985–86 | 54* (53b, 5x4); 10–1–28–1 |
| 6 | England | Sharjah | 1986–87 | 64 (54b, 5x4, 1x6); 8–1–30–1 |
| 7 | New Zealand New Zealand cricket team The New Zealand cricket team, nicknamed the Black Caps, are the national cricket team representing New Zealand. They played their first in 1930 against England in Christchurch, New Zealand, becoming the fifth country to play Test cricket. It took the team until 1955–56 to win a Test, against the... |
Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore | 1987–88 | 72* (58b, 4x4, 1x6); 10–1–54–0 |
| 8 | Zimbabwe | Gujarat Stadium, Ahmedabad Sardar Patel Stadium Sardar Patel Stadium is one of the premier Cricket stadiums of India located in the Motera locality of Ahmedabad. Because of its location, the stadium is commonly called Motera Stadium to avoid confusion with another stadium of the same name in Navrangpura locality of Ahmedabad. Sardar Patel... |
1987–88 | 41* (25b, 2x4, 3x6), 10–2–44–2 |
| 9 | West Indies | Sharjah | 1989–90 | 41 (50b, 2x4, 1x6); 7.4–1–19–2 |
| 10 | New Zealand New Zealand cricket team The New Zealand cricket team, nicknamed the Black Caps, are the national cricket team representing New Zealand. They played their first in 1930 against England in Christchurch, New Zealand, becoming the fifth country to play Test cricket. It took the team until 1955–56 to win a Test, against the... |
Basin Reserve, Wellington Basin Reserve The Basin Reserve , is a cricket ground in Wellington, New Zealand, used for Test, first-class and one-day cricket. Some argue that its proximity to the city, its Historic Place status and its age make it the most famous cricket ground in New Zealand... |
1989–90 | 46 (38b, 4x4, 1x6); 9.5–1–45–2 |
| 11 | South Africa South African cricket team The South African national cricket team represent South Africa in international cricket. They are administrated by Cricket South Africa.South Africa is a full member of the International Cricket Council, also known as ICC, with Test and One Day International, or ODI, status... |
Kingsmead, Durban | 1992–93 | 30 (37b, 5x4); 10–4–23–3 |