It was a Saturday. As if to add to the grief of Indian Cricket Team the sky was full of clouds. The scene was the world cup final in 1983. West Indies, the Caribbean power could put an end to Indian Innings at a score of 183 runs. The Caribbean`s sitting at the gallery had already begun the celebration. But the fate of 'Lords Stadium' was to witness some unexpected miracles. Indian Team led by Kapil Dev played furiously and Caribbean power could do nothing but to surrender helplessly at a score of 140 runs. As Kapil Dev lifted the Prudential cup. World Cup victory in 1983 was a defining moment for cricket in India. As Indian captain, Kapil played an instrumental role in the country's success. Kapil Dev, the ever-remembered master of Indian Cricket, was not just lifting up a world cup trophy, but he was uplifting the proud legacy of India before the world. Kapil is ever remembered for his rich contribution to cricket.
Full Name
Kapildev Ramlal Nikhanj
Born
January 6, 1959, Chandigarh
Major teams
India, Haryana, Northamptonshire, Worcestershire
Batting style
Right-hand bat
Bowling style
Right-arm fast-medium
Achievements
- Captained India to World Cup victory in 1983
- Broke Richard Hadlee's record of 431 wickets in Test cricket
- Scored first ODI century by an Indian
- Only cricketer to score 5,000 Test runs and take 400 wickets
- Named Indian Cricketer of the Century by Wisden
Kapil Dev Ramlal Nikhanj is said to be one of the all time greatest all-rounders to have existed in the world of Cricket. Kapil also served the Indian Cricket team as its Captain, and is famous for being the only Captain of the Indian Cricket team that led it to win a World Cup Cricket Trophy in the year 1983.
Debut
He debuted the Test Cricket with a match played against Pakistan at Faisalabad in the year 1978. During the 3rd Test match played at Karachi, he scored the fasted half-century made by any Indian cricketer off just 33 balls. Kapil`s One Day International (ODI) debut was made on 1st of October 1978 in a match played against Pakistan at Quetta. He scored 13 runs and took 1 wicket giving 27 runs in the match.
Captaincy
He was made the Captain of the Indian Cricket team in the year 1982-83 for a match against Sri Lanka. He began as a regular Captain of the team with the tour of West Indies.
World Cup 1983
During the 1983 World Cup, Kapil scored a huge 175 runs off 138 balls against a crucial match against Zimbabwe. India won this match by 31 runs and went on to win its only World Cup Trophy. This innings played by Kapil has been regarded as one of the Top 10 ODI Batting Performances of all times by the Wisden magazine.
Vital Statistics
In his Test Cricket career, Kapil Dev played 131 Test matches in which he scored 5248 runs with a Batting Average of 31.05 runs. His highest score was 163 runs. As far as bowling is concerned, he took 434 wickets in the Test Cricket, and gave away 12867 runs with an average of 29.64 runs. Kapil played 225 ODI matches throughout his career, and scored 3783 runs with an average of 23.79 runs, his highest score being 175 not out. He took 252 wickets, and gave 6945 runs with an average of 27.45 runs in his ODI career. The Wisden magazine named him the Indian Cricketer of the Century in 2002, and has been conferred upon with Arjuna Award, Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan awards by the Government of India. http://www.youtube.com/watch`v=Dt-kZ_sa7Rg&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch`v=DxiYYTopAu8&NR=1