Happy Birthday Kapil Dev: Remembering top knocks played by India’s 1983 World Cup-winning captain

Former Indian cricketer Kapil Dev is unquestionably one of the greatest all-rounders in the cricket’s history. A destructive middle-order batter as well as a lethal pacer, Dev is credited for bringing an aggressive approach to Indian cricket.

Apart from being extraordinarily talented, he is the first Indian captain to take the coveted World Cup trophy home in 1983. It seemed nothing but a fairytale when the Kapil Dev-steered brigade defeated the mighty West Indies in the final game at Lord’s.

During his 16-year-long illustrious career, Dev featured in 131 Tests and 225 ODIs.

In the 50-over format, Dev recorded 3,783 runs and picked up 253 wickets. He is the only cricketer to record more than 5000 runs and over 400 wickets in Tests. He has amassed a total of 5,248 runs and fetched 434 scalps in red-ball cricket. Today, Kapil Dev rings his 64th birthday. On this special occasion, let’s take a look at the top innings by the ‘Haryana Hurricane’:

175 off 138 balls vs Zimbabwe (1983)

Kapil Dev’s knock in the 1983 World Cup against Zimbabwe is arguably the one of the best ODI innings ever played. It was a must-win situation for India to proceed to the next stage. But the top order suffered a total collapse. With the scoreboard reading 17/5, the captain appeared on the crease and took on the responsibility of ensuring a victory. Dev’s unbeaten 175 took India to a decent total of 266 runs. During his 138-ball innings, he smashed as many as 16 boundaries and 6 maximums. In the end, India comfortably clinched the victory by 31 runs.

129 off 180 balls vs South Africa (1992)

It was the third Test during the South Africa tour when Dev showed great determination to prevent India from enduring a loss. In the second innings, the Indian unit was reeling at 27/5 when Dev came to the rescue. He held on to the crease even though no batter could stay for long at the other end. However, the right-handed batter managed to stitch some important partnerships with the tail-enders. Dev’s 129-run knock helped his side post 215 runs on the board, awarding a target of 153 runs to the Proteas. Unfortunately, his heroics could not save India from defeat.

110 off 142 balls vs England (1990)

When the T20 era had not yet arrived, Kapil Dev demonstrated a similar approach in a 1990 Test against England at the Oval. In the first innings, Ravi Shastri’s commendable 187 built the foundation for India’s innings. Taking full advantage of the situation, Dev came out all guns blazing and registered 110 runs in 142 deliveries. His innings, laced with 16 fours, took India to a mammoth total of 606 runs. England were forced to follow on after they were bowled out at 340. But they recovered in the second innings, scoring 477. The match ended in a draw.

126 off 124 balls vs West Indies (1979)

West Indies, the powerhouse in red-ball cricket, toured India in the end of 1978 to play a six-match Test series. In the fifth game, Dev scored his maiden Test hundred with a quickfire 126 off just 124 deliveries in the first innings. His innings included 11 boundaries and a single maximum. In reply to India’s massive 566-run total, West Indies were bowled out for 172 and had to follow on. But, they held tight to the crease in the second innings and the fixture ended in a draw.

77 off 75 balls vs England (1990)

Sometimes numbers don’t decide whether an innings is crucial, rather the situation does. This innings of Kapil Dev against England at the Lord’s fairly proves why he is regarded as one of the best middle-order batters in history. India were standing on the verge of follow-on when Dev came into the crease. The pressure was unimaginable as they were 24 runs behind with just one wicket left in their hands. To everyone’s surprise, Dev whacked four consecutive sixes against English spinner Eddie Hemmings and brought India back into the game. He scored an unbeaten 77 runs comprising 8 fours and 4 sixes in total. However, his heroics ultimately could not take India past the winning post. England went on to secure a huge 247-run win.

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