Kapil Dev

Cricket is the most followed sport in India. The viewership of Cricket Matches and the craze of cricket players is an astonishing sight to watch. Kapil Dev Ramlal Nikhang, popularly referred to as Kapil Dev, is one such popular former cricket player. He has formerly served as the Captain of the Indian Cricket team and is credited with taking the popularity of Cricket in India to the next level laying the foundation for a prosperous future for Indian Cricket. In the following article, we will talk about the life events of Kapil Dev in detail.

Early Life of Kapil Dev

Chandigarh is the home city of Kapil Dev. Kapil Dev was born in the family of Ram Lal Nikhanj and Rajkumari on January 6, 1959. His father was a teak merchant by profession, and his mother was a housewife. The family of Kapil Dev originally belonged to the Montgomery district situated in present-day Pakistan.

The family moved to the region of Fazilka in Punjab after the partition and then finally settled down in Chandigarh. Kapil completed his initial studies at the D.A.V. School in Chandigarh.

Cricket Career of Kapil Dev

Kapil Dev was one of the most successful all-rounders of his time. He was a fast bowler and a power-hitting batsman in the middle order for the Indian cricket team.

Domestic Cricket Career

From the start to the end of his professional cricket career, Kapil Dev only played for the Haryana Cricket Team in domestic Cricket. He made his intentions clear with an impressive debut in which he played a crucial role in Haryana's victory over Punjab by taking a six-wicket haul.

The biggest success for Kapil's domestic career came in the Ranji Trophy season of 1991. He was one of the stars who helped Haryana become the Ranji Trophy Champions for the first time in their history. Kapil Dev scored more than 13,000 runs and took more than 700 wickets in his entire domestic career. He played his last match for his beloved Haryana team in 1992.

County Cricket

Kapil Dev also took part in the reputed County Cricket of England. He played 40 matches from the side of Northamptonshire and Worcestershire. He achieved great success in county cricket as well. He scored around 2,100 runs and took 103 wickets in his County cricket career.

International Cricket Career

The performance of Kapil Dev at the domestic level got the attention of the Selectors for the Indian Cricket Team. As a result, Kapil became the 141sr t player to represent India in Test cricket by playing his debut match against Pakistan on October 16, 1978. In the same year, Kapil also got the chance in India's ODI(One Day Internationals) team.

Kapil Dev proved to be one of the best finds for Indian Cricket as he finished his finished international career with 687 wickets and around 9,000 runs. Also, the most memorable success for Kapil came with the victory in the Cricket World Cup of 1983, when he was the Captain of the Indian team. Finally, the glorious career of Kapil came to an end in 1994 when he announced his retirement from all forms of Cricket.

Kapil Dev holds the record for being the only all-rounder in the world of Cricket to have completed 4,000 runs and 400 wickets in Test Cricket. Kapil Dev broke the record of Richard Hadlee for the most wickets in Test Cricket in 1994 and held this record for a brief time.

The record was ultimately broken in 1999 when Courtney Walsh took completed wickets than Kapil Dev in Test Cricket. Also, the bowling skills of Kapil Dev were the biggest asset of the Indian cricket team during the era of 80s and 90s.

Personal Life of Kapil Dev

In 1980, Kapil Dev married Romi Bhatia. The couple welcomed their daughter in January 1996 and named her Amiya Dev. Along with Cricket, Kapil was always very passionate about Golf. As a result, he actively took part in Golf and was among the founding members of the Laureus Foundation in 2000.

In 2020, the health of Kapil Dev deteriorated, and he suffered a heart attack. He was soon hospitalized and understood surgery. After remaining in hospital for a few weeks, he was discharged, and his health improved significantly.

Books by Kapil Dev

Besides Cricket, Kapil Dev is also a hobby writer. His beautiful writing skill is evident in his four books on Sikhism and Personal Life.

The list of Books written by Kapil Dev is as follows:

• By God's Decree(1985)
• Cricket My Style(1987)
• Straight from the Heart(2004)
• We, The Sikhs(2019)

Filmography of Kapil Dev

Kapil has shown his multiple talents after retirement from Cricket. He wrote several successful books, played Golf, endorsed many brands, and has done cameo roles in many movies.

Some of his most popular movie roles are as follows:

• 83- This was the biopic movie of Kapil Dev, released in 2022. Ranveer Singh played the role of Kapil Dev in this successful movie focusing on the famous 1983 World Victory of India. Kapil made a small appearance as himself in the movie.
• Mujhse Shaadi Karogi(2004)
• Chain Kulii Ki Main Kulii(2007)
• Iqbal(2005)

Awards Won by Kapil Dev

The illustrious cricket career of Kapil Dev helped him become the poster boy of World Cricket and Indian Cricket. Kapil Dev has won numerous prestigious awards from different private and government institutions.

Some of the most popular awards won by Kapil Dev are as follows:

• I.C.C. Cricket Hall of Fame in 2010
• Arjuna Award in 1979-80
• Padma Shri in 1982
• Padma Bhushan in 1991
• Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1983
• Wisden Indian Cricketer of the Century in 2002 and many others.

Moreover, he was also honored with the post of Lieutenant Colonel in 2008 by the Indian Territorial Army.

Kapil Dev in Popular Culture

Kapil Dev is among the most loved and successful cricketers in the world. The nickname also knows him of Haryana Hurricane by his fans. Kapil Dev has been a source of inspiration for many modern cricketers.

The God of Cricket, Sachin Tendulkar, told in an interview that the victory of the 1983 World Cup and the personality of Kapil Dev inspired him to become a professional cricketer.

One of the biggest portrayals of Kapil Dev in popular culture can be seen in his biopic 83. The movie stars Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh in the role of Kapil. The story of the movie, 83, revolves around the miraculous journey of the underdog Indian Cricket team in the 1983 edition of the Cricket World Cup.

Despite being the underdogs and facing several hardships, the Indian Cricket team emerged victorious in the 1983 World Cup. Kapil Dev was one of the main architects shaping this victory for the Indian Cricket team.