Published: Jan 06, 2026, 11:25 AM (IST)
Edited: Jan 06, 2026, 11:25 AM (IST)
On Tuesday, January 6th, is a special day for the whole nation as it’s the birthday of the former Indian star and the first ever captain of the World Cup winning team. Kapil Dev, who is known for his remarkable achievement and 1983 World Cup triumph. Take a look and find out some ups and downs of Kapil Dev’s cricket and personal life.
Kapil Dev is a well-known face in cricket and in the world as well. However, let’s take a look at the net worth of the 67-year-old is estimated to be around $30 million (approximately ₹252 to ₹270 crore). The legendary player’s wealth sources include brand endorsements, TV commentary, public appearances and also business ventures like the restaurant chain ”Kapil Dev’s Eleven”. According to a report, Kapil Dev earns 12 crore annually. The 1983 star is one of the most successful athletes as well.
If we break the ice on Kapil Dev’s throwback stories, the bucket is filled full of pride and the craziest moments. However, there are some moments which stick in the whole nation’s mind and heart. The first one was the 1983 World Cup triumph. Under Kapil Dev’s captaincy, the team India lifted their first World Cup over one of the toughest opponents of that time and two-time defending champions, West Indies. There is one more heroic of Kapil Dev, where he played a great knock of 175* against Zimbabwe in the same event. When India was struggling in 17 runs for 5 wickets. The list includes one more achievement, the iconic catch of West Indies great Viv Richards, as the incredible fielding helped India to defend a low total of 183.
Let’s discuss the greatest moments and records made by a legendary Indian star. Kapil Dev is known for his great all-round performance. His incredible batting and bowling performances helped the team to secure a victory like a piece of cake. However, his first outstanding record was that he became the first player to reach the milestone of 5,000 runs (5,248) with more than 400 wickets (434). This is not it, he even remains in that spot. The next achievement by Kapil Dev is that he achieved the title of the youngest captain to lift the World Cup trophy in 1983 at the age of 24.
There’s a tough time or an emotional breakdown comes in everyone’s life. However, it also came in legendary player Kapil Dev’s life, where he cried during a live TV interview. The moment came, when he got a serious allegation of match-fixing made by Manoj Prabhakar in the late 1990s. Eventually, he was cleared of all charges.
Not only as a cricketer. Kapil Dev also presented his skills as India team coach from October 1999 to August 2000. However, he couldn’t get that much result which was expected. Under Kapil Dev’s coaching, the Indian team managed to win just 1 match out of 8 test matches. Not only this, in the ODI, India only won 9 matches and lost 16. His coaching stint ended due to the match-fixing controversies.
Next on the list is one of the most important parts of Kapil Dev’s career. The first biggest controversy in the player’s career is match-fixing allegations. This was the moment where Kapil Dev even cried as he made a serious allegations made by Manoj Prabhakar which affected him a lot and took a while to heal him from that setback.
