Kapil Dev

Kapil Dev Ramlal Nikhanj (born 6 January 1959, Chandigarh), better known as Kapil Dev, is a former Indian cricketer regarded as one of the greatest all-rounders to have played cricket. Kapil Dev was named by Wisden as the Indian Cricketer of the Century in 2002 for captaining India to their maiden and only Cricket World Cup in 1983 and holding the record for the most Test match wickets between 1994 and 1999. Kapil Dev had a rather prosaic stint as 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 throughout 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. His nickname was The Haryana Hurricane — he used to represent the Haryana cricket team.

Personal life

Kapil Dev was born to Ram Lal Nikhanj and Raj Kumari Lajwanti (maiden name) on 6 January 1959. He was the sixth of seven siblings. Kapil's parents emigrated from a village near Rawalpindi during Partition. Ram Lal Nikhanj settled in Chandigarh and settled into a prosperous building and timber business. Kapil Dev was a student at D.A.V. School and in 1971 joined as a pupil to Desh Prem Azad. He was introduced to Romi Bhatia by a common friend in 1979 and proposed to her in . Kapil Dev married Romi in 1980 and the couple have a daughter Amiya Dev who was born in 1996

Domestic performance

Kapil Dev made his debut for Haryana in November 1975 against their neighbors Punjab and impressed with a debut 6/39 innings haul, restricting Punjab to just 63 runs and helping Haryana to a victory. However, Kapil finished the season with only 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. Facing powerhouse Bombay (now Mumbai) in the quarter finals, Haryana were exposed as pretenders with future team mate Karsan Ghavri taking 7 wickets in the first innings. Haryana lost the match when Bombay's batting piled up the pressure by scoring over 500 runs. However, the season made the nation sit up and notice the speedster from Haryana.
Kapil Dev didn't disappoint his growing legion of fans when he improved on his bowling record by taking 8-38 in the first innings against Services in the 1977-78 season. 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 named for his maiden Irani Trophy, Duleep Trophy and Wills Trophy matches though he did not have a stand-out performance.
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 showed his big-match attitude 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 Dev was included in the North Zone squad for Deodhar Trophy and Wills Trophy for the first time. Kapil played his first Test match in the season against Pakistan
In the 1979-80 season, Kapil Dev 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 Dev cementing his place in the

Haryana:1990-91 Ranji champions

In the 1990-91 Ranji season, Haryana rode into the semi-finals on the back of the bowling performance of Chetan Sharma and the batting performance of Amarjit Kaypee. Kapil Dev 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 Dev won his maiden and only Ranji Trophy championship.

International career

Early Years (1978 - 1982)

Kapil Dev made his Test cricket debut in Faisalabad, Pakistan on 16 October 1978 and though 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 bought glee to the Indian players when Pakistani batsmen were startled with bouncers that clanged the helmet on more than one occasion. Kapil Dev also captured his maiden wicket of Sadiq Mohammad with his trademark outswinger. Kapil Dev 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, though 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 Dev's liking for England showed up in the ensuring series, Kapil's first outside the sub-continent. Kapil Dev picked up his first 5-wicket haul and all of England's wickets, though it came at a huge cost (48 overs and 146 runs conceded) as England scored a mammoth 633 and won the match comfortably. Kapil Dev finished the series with 16 wickets though his batting haul of 45 runs (Average: 7.5) was unimpressive. Kapil Dev's 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 Dev 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 Dev 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 meager 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 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 Dev 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 Kapil 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 Dev helped himself to a five-wicket haul to kick start the 1982-83 season. In the following tour to Pakistan, Kapil Dev along with Mohinder Amarnath were the only bright spots in a series dominated by rival all-rounder Imran Khan (40 wickets and 1 century). Kapil Dev 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 Dev was made the captain of the Indian cricket team in place of Sunil Gavaskar.

Captain: 1983 World Cup Champions (1982 - 1984)

Kapil Dev debuted as India's captain in the 1982-83 season against Sri Lanka (before the Pakistan tour) when Sunil Gavaskar was rested. Kapil Dev's first assignment as the regular captain was the tour of West Indies where the biggest accomplishment was a lone ODI victory. Kapil Dev (72) and Sunil 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).

1983 World Cup Performance

Kapil Dev entered the World Cup with an ordinary individual record - 32 Matches, 608 Runs (Average: 21), 34 wickets. India's solitary victory in the previous two World Cups was against East Africa 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. Needing victories against Australia and Zimbabwe to advance to semi-finals, India faced Zimbabwe at Nevill Ground, 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 Sunil 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 stabilized 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 just 72 balls - establishing the then record for fastest ODI century. Together with Kirmani (22 runs), Kapil put on an unbeaten 126 runs for the 9th wicket - a current world record. Kapil Dev 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.

Kapil Dev helped curtail the lower-order after England lost regular wickets to Roger Binny and Mohinder Amarnath. Kapil 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 Dev had upset Clive Lloyd's West Indies to win their maiden and to-date only World 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 West Indies won the Test series 3-0 and the ODI Series 5-0. Kapil Dev achieved his best test bowling performance in a loss at Motera Stadium, Ahmedabad with a return of 9/. His bowling performance in the test and ODI series was let down by his poor batting performance. The selectors ended the reign of Kapil Dev and reappointed Sunil Gavaskar as captain.

Difficult captaincy

Kapil lost the captaincy in early 1984 to Sunil Gavaskar. He regained it 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 match with Dean Jones.
Kapil was retained as India's captain for the 1987 Cricket World Cup. In their first match of the World Cup, 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.
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 exaggarated.

Playing Style

Batting: Always an entertainer

At his best, Kapil was one of the world's most destructive batsmen.

• During the Test match series against Pakistan in 1982-83, he demolished Abdul Qadir's leg spin, which the English and Australian batsmen had great difficulty in reading earlier in the same year.

• He was also fearless in attacking the world's best fast-bowlers. During a World Cup match against the West Indies in 1983, he drove Michael Holding straight over his head for a six, a shot that would have been considered unimaginable by most against a bowler of Holding's pace.

• In a match on route to the World Cup final of 1983, Kapil smashed a captain's knock of 175 not out against Zimbabwe helping India recover from an extremely poor start. India had collapsed to 9/4 when Kapil came in to bat, and were reduced further to 17/5. His 175 not out turned the game completely in India's favour and was at the time the highest-ever individual score in ODI cricket. It was also the first ODI century by an Indian. Surprisingly, it was also Kapil's only ODI hundred.

• Another memorable incident relates to a Test match against England in 1990. When India needed 24 runs to save the follow-on with only one wicket remaining, Kapil met that target by hitting four consecutive sixes off Eddie Hemmings. This proved to be the right decision, as in the next over itself, the number 11 batsman Narendra Hirwani was dismissed with no further addition to the score.

• A further example of his competitive spirit was during a match against West Indies at Sharjah in November 1986, when he tried to cajole Viv Richards into bowling the last over of the match with India needing 36 runs to win. Unsurprisingly, Richards did not give in to his request.

• Kapil's batting talent and competitive spirit were evident until as late as 1992, when during a Test match against South Africa, he counter-attacked Allan Donald and the rest of the South African pace attack on his way to his final Test century, an outstanding 129 out of a total of 215. The next highest score was only 17 and none of the top six batsmen got into double figures.

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, following knee surgery in 1984, his bowling declined as he lost some of his majestic jump at the crease. He continued to be effective, if not devastating, for another ten years and became the second bowler ever to take 400 wickets in Test cricket in 1991-92 when he took Mark Taylor's wicket in a home series versus Australia.

Post retirement

India's National Cricket Coach

Main article: Kapil Dev as Indian National Cricket Coach

Kapil Dev was appointed coach of the Indian national cricket team in 1999 succeeding Anshuman Gaekwad 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. the height of the match fixing allegation by Manoj Prabhakar a charge that was dismissed later, Kapil Dev resigned from his position as national coach. Stung by the betting controversy, he announced farewell to the game 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".

Return to Cricket

After a period of silence and away from the public eye, Kapil Dev returned to cricket when Wisden announced Kapil Dev as one of the sixteen finalists for the Wisden Indian Cricketer of the Century award in July 2002. Kapil Dev piped long time team-mate Gavaskar and crowd favourite Tendulkar to win the award and claimed the award as "my finest hour".
Kapil Dev slowly returned to cricket as a bowling consultant and was the bowling coach in the preparatory camp prior to India's tour of Pakistan in March 2004. In October 2006, Kapil Dev was nominated as the chairman of National Cricket Academy for a 2 year period.
In May 2007, Kapil Dev joined the upstart Indian Cricket League (ICL) floated by Zee TV as the chairman of executive board and defended 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 Dev was removed from the chairmanship of theNational Cricket Academy, a day after he addressed a formal press conference of the new Indian Cricket League.

Records

Test cricket

• In early 1994, he became the highest Test wicket-taker in the world, breaking the record held by Sir Richard Hadlee. Kapil's record was broken by Courtney Walsh 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 Garner 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 Akram 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.

Achievements

Awards

• 1979-80 - Arjuna Award
• 1982 - Padma Shri
• 1983 - Wisden Cricketer of the Year
• 1991 - Padma Bhushan
• 2002 - Wisden Indian Cricketer of the Century

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