Former cricketer and Indian cricket team captain Kapil Nikhanj Dev is one of the sport’s legends. He is currently India’s best fast bowling all-rounder.
He was a right-arm fast bowler and right-handed batsman who was known as the Haryana Hurricane. He’ll be known for his lethal out swingers, powerful bowling, and leading India to World Cup victory in 1983.
Career
His test cricket debut, which he made when he was 19 years old and against Pakistan, was sadly unimpressive. He did, however, score a blistering 33-ball half-century in the third test match of the same series in 1978, which was only a snapshot of his robust batting that he displayed during his career.
In just 124 deliveries, he hit his first test century against the West Indies at Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi. He took his first 5-wicket haul on his first visit of England.
Remarkable Career
In 1979, Kapil Dev established himself as a key member of the Indian cricket team by taking two five-wicket hauls against Australia in a home series.
In the 1979-80 season, he rose to prominence after a six-test home series against Pakistan. In that series, he led India to two victories. Once for his 69-ball knock at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, and again for his fearsome bowling at Chepauk in Chennai, where he took 10 wickets.
Career in a Glimpse
Kapil has a total of 5248 runs at an average of 31.05 in 131 tests for his country, with a highest score of 163.
With the highest bowling figures of 146/11 in a test match, he took 434 wickets at an average of 29.65. In test cricket, he also holds the record for most wickets taken by a fast bowler for India.
Kapil Dev has played 225 ODI matches for India, scoring 3783 runs at an average of 23.79, with a highest score of 175 (a landmark 138-ball knock against Zimbabwe that helped his team recover from a 17-5 score).
With the best bowling figures of 5/43, he took 273 wickets at an average of 27.45.
Achievements
In the year 2002, Wisden named him “Indian Cricketer of the Century.” The Indian government has also given him the Arjuna Award and the Padma Bhushan award.