Kapil Dev

India
Player profile
Full name Kapildev Ramlal Nikhanj
Born January 6, 1959, Chandigarh
Current age 49 years 274 days
Major teams India, Haryana, Northamptonshire, Worcestershire
Batting style Right-hand bat
Bowling style Right-arm fast-medium

About

Only one man in the entire history of Test cricket has reached the exemplary heights of 4000 runs and 400 wickets, the “Quadruple Double”, and sits alone atop the all-rounder’s Mount Everest. That one man is none other than Kapil Dev, India’s most prolific all-rounder.

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 also was 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.

How valuable was Kapil as an all-rounder to the Indian cricket team?

Well, he graced the Indian cricket both as a high-class batsman and a genuine strike bowler. In the entire history of Test cricket only one all-rounder has found a place in both the lists of all-time top 10 wicket takers and top 10 run scorers for his country, and that’s Kapil Dev.

His contribution to Indian cricket is so immense that it was but natural that Wisden would pick him as the Indian cricketer of the century. He was indeed India’s one-man army in the truest sense in his heydays.

But statistics can never do justice to the charisma, the panache, and the sheer brilliance of Kapil Dev. He was not a creature of statistics, though he holds many Indian and World records. What really made Kapil Dev unique was his uncomplicated approach to the game whether batting, bowling, fielding or captaining. The secret was that he blended this approach with immense determination, pride and courage. This combination endeared him to the cricket-mad Indian crowds and made him the first true superstar of Indian cricket.
sourcehttp://www.kapildev.asia/

http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/india/content/player/30028.html

History of Indian cricket - 1980s

The 1980s proved to be a decade where Indian cricket managed to make its presence felt. The incredible win in the World Cup of 1983 where India beat the mighty West Indies, India’s victory in the Benson and Hedges World Championship of Cricket in Australia and the World Cup being hosted on subcontinent soil were high points that left its mark on Indian cricket.

India triumph against Australia – 1981

Attributed to the efforts of Viswanath and an injured Kapil Dev, the Indians were able to garrote a full strength Australian side. The Indians were bowled out for a mere 237 runs in the first innings of the third Test at Melbourne despite 114 from Viswanath. Dennis Lillie was the main destroyer with four Indian scalps to his name.

The Aussies amassed 419 runs in the first innings with a well-crafted century by Border. In reply, the Indians managed to score 324 in their second innings with Chauhan making 85 and Gavaskar 70.

The Aussies were bowled out for a mere 83, which was by far their lowest score. Kapil, who had to take painkiller injections before the start of the match, bowled for 16 overs on the trot and returned with match winning figures of 5 for 28.

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This win against the Aussies saw the Indians register their first Test win in Australia. The series was drawn with a score of 1-1.

Indians topple West Indies at Berbice – 1983

India’s first ever victory against the West Indies in ODIs came on 30th March 1983. The signs of India being capable of overpowering the very best in the business were evident with this win. Kapil’s knock of 72 off 38 balls and Gavaskar’s splendid 90 were largely responsible for this win.

World Cup Win – 1983

After being branded as a team, which could not perform in the World Cups, the Indians had no end to their woes after they were grouped with the reigning champions West Indies, Australia and Zimbabwe.

India’s opening match against the Windies left all stunned where the Indian’s sprung up a surprise 34 run win. The credit of this victory went to Yashpal Sharma who scored a marvelous 89 under testing circumstances.

One of the main highlights of India’s run to victory in the 1983 World Cup was the win against Zimbabwe. After starting off in a miserable fashion with a score line that spelt 17 for 5, Kapil Dev came to the rescue of the team by slamming 175 runs which involved a partnership of 126 runs for the 9th wicket with Syed Kirmani. India eventually won the game by 31 runs.

The finals of the World Cup turned out to be quite contradictory to what had been predicted. It seemed that God himself wrote a script of an Indian victory, which defied reason. After bowling India out for a dismal 183, the West Indians were cruising to victory, when the dreaded collapse happened.

The Windies were blown away by the Indian bowlers for a mere 140, falling short of the target by 43 runs. The day belonged to the two Indians namely Mohinder Amarnath who scored a vital 26 along with claiming 3 wickets, and Kris Srikkanth who top scored with 38, which basically outlined the win for India
sourcehttp://cricket.zeenews.com/crichistory.asp?nid=82