Cricket World Cup 2019: From 1975 to 2015, teams with most World Cup titles
Cricket World Cup 2019: Most catches in each edition of the World Cup
Photo: Kapil Dev, Azharuddin play cricket with Canada PM Justin Trudeau and his kids
Infographics: Brendon McCullum and others who scored Test tons in under 100 balls multiple times
If there is one man who changed the face of Indian cricket to an unrecognisable degree it is this Haryana Hurricane.
When he arrived on the scene, spinners were often handed the new ball after it had been rubbed on the turf. 'Speedsters' who opened the bowling included men like Budhi Kunderan and Sunil Gavaskar. India was a land of spinners where no one bowled fast. Kapil changed all that by producing enough pace on his debut to force Sadiq Mohammad to don a helmet.
And then it was discovered that he could bat too, with enough talent to be a top-class batsman if he put in the effort (he had a strike rate of 95 in ODIs before the era of field restrictions). He could hit the ball often and a long, long way. Kapil was a genuine all-rounder, a fast-bowling one, the sort that India had never seen before. No wonder he captured the imagination of millions. Suddenly, young lads were seen embarking on long and rhythmic run-ups in every level of friendly and serious cricket around the country. He brought about a revolution.
Here was a man who could blast out the opposition with pace and incredible swing and earn India victories. He did that too, adding spirited contributions with the bat when required. He could take five wickets and belt a hundred. And as he showed at Melbourne in 1981, his animal athleticism and simplicity notwithstanding he could bowl with his head. Struggling with an injury, he bowled Australia out in the final innings as India defended a low score to win a famous Test.
From 1977 to 1983, Kapil remained comparable to the top all-rounders of his era, a group that included Ian Botham, Imran Khan and Richard Hadlee. He could hold his own in that formidable group, with both bat and ball, and in the outfield he was the best of the lot. Yes, apart from being the best fast bowler ever produced by India and one of the most talented lower order batsmen, Kapil was also among the most versatile fielders of the country. There was nothing he could not do. He was, without a doubt, the most natural cricketer the country has produced.
Soon this many-faceted genius was given the additional responsibility of captaincy, and he led India to a surprise triumph in Prudential World Cup 1983. Kapil himself played a leading role with bat and ball, stunning the world with a blistering 175 not out against Zimbabwe to snatch a victory from an impossible situation. It was the first ODI hundred by an Indian. Earlier in the tournament he had taken 5 for 43 against Australia — the first ODI five-for the country. Indian cricket would never be the same again.
With time, his bowling lost the lethal edge. The latter half of the 1980s saw him struggle to take wickets. The famous banana swing of his earlier years became less potent and erratic. His batting remained effective in patches as ever, and county stints gave his fielding an extra dimension with experience in the slips. But, he was no longer the bowler he used to be.
After the World Cup, the captaincy was not uniformly successful. There were musical chairs for the top job with Sunil Gavaskar, the other Indian icon with whom Kapil did not always enjoy the best relationship. There was even one time that his casual approach with the bat cost him his place in the side. When India lost to England in the semi-final of the Reliance World Cup in 1987, Kapil was removed as captain.
He continued to be one of the key members of the side, his bat and ball occasionally rekindling the deeds of the past. Even in the 1990s he enjoyed an excellent series in Australia. Perhaps he lingered a bit too long in pursuit of the world record of Test dismissals. He retired as soon as he had overtaken Richard Hadlee, his ultimate number of wickets reading 434. Alongside over 5,000 runs it certainly makes for formidable reading.
After his retirement, Kapil had a turbulent and unsuccessful 10-month stint as the coach of the Indian team. There followed controversies with Manoj Prabhakar claiming his involvement in match-fixing.
In 2002, he was voted the Indian cricketer of the last century, ahead of Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar.
Arunabha Sengupta
Career | M | In | R | NO | HS | Avg | BF | SR | 100s | 50s | 4s | 6s | Ct | St |
Test | 131 | 184 | 5248 | 15 | 163 | 31.05 | 5501 | 95.40 | 8 | 27 | 549 | 29 | 64 | 0 |
ODIs | 225 | 198 | 3783 | 39 | 175* | 23.79 | 3932 | 96.21 | 1 | 14 | 281 | 59 | 71 | 0 |
T20s | 0 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | |
World Cup | 26 | 24 | 669 | 6 | 175* | 37.16 | 534 | 125.2 | 1 | 1 | 52 | 12 | 12 | 0 |
Career | M | B | R | W | Avg | EC | SR | 5WI | 10WM | BBI | BBM |
Test | 131 | 27740 | 12867 | 434 | 29.64 | 2.783 | 63. | 23 | 2 | 9/83 | 11/146 |
ODIs | 225 | 11202 | 6945 | 253 | 27.45 | 3.719 | 44.27 | 1 | 0 | 5/28 | 5/43 |
T20s | 0 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
World Cup | 26 | 1422 | 892 | 28 | 31.85 | 3.763 | 50.78 | 1 | -- | 5/43 | 5/43 |
Test Debut
Pakistan v India at Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad, October 16, 1978
Last Test
New Zealand v India at Seddon Park, Hamilton, March 19, 1994
ODI Debut
Pakistan v India at Ayub National Stadium, Quetta, October 1, 1978
Last ODI
India v West Indies at Nahar Singh Stadium, Faridabad, October 17, 1994
The duo broke Kapil Dev and Manoj Prabhakar's record at the venue, who had added 58 runs for the seventh wicket in 1991.
Kohli takes the top position when it comes to engagement on social media at 1.1 lakh followed by Dhoni at 1.02 lakh, Rohit at 0.80 ...
A lot of talks regarding the split captaincy for Team India are going around in the cricketing world since Rohit Shamra guided Mumbai ...
Last month, Kapil suffered a cardiac arrest and subsequently underwent an angioplasty at the Fortis Escorts Heart Institute in the ...
CSK captain MS Dhoni scored 200 runs from 12 innings this IPL season without hitting a half-century.
Widely regarded as one of the greatest cricketers to have graced the game, Kapil Dev played 131 Tests and 225 ODIs.
As the championship unfolded, Kapil Dev’s "dark horses" turned out to be Derby winners as they galloped in style past the finishing line.
Kapil Dev walked out at 9 for 4. It soon became 17 for 5, and then 78 for 7. What followed was an innings with few parallels.
While India boast a better record overall, New Zealand lead 4-3 in World Cups.
India arrived in England in 1983 without expectations. What unfolded was a magical and memorable journey that culminated in a historic ...
While West Indies skipper Clive Lloyd held on to four catches in World Cup 1975, Ricky Ponting held on to 11 catches during the World ...
India arrived in England in 1983 without expectations. What unfolded was a magical and memorable journey that culminated in a historic ...
Sri Lanka vs England - 2nd Test
ENG 138/4 OVERS: 43.5
SL 381 (139.3 Ovs)
ENG trail by 243 runs
Afghanistan vs Ireland - 2nd ODI
Afghanistan
Match begins at 11:30 IST (06:00 GMT)
05 Feb, 2021 09:30 IST
MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
Bangladesh vs West Indies - 1st Test
03 Feb, 2021 09:00 IST
Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chattogram
Pakistan vs South Africa - 1st Test
26 Jan, 2021 10:30 IST
National Stadium, Karachi
Pakistan vs South Africa - 2nd Test
04 Feb, 2021 10:30 IST
Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi
Bangladesh vs West Indies - 3rd ODI
25 Jan, 2021 11:00 IST
Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chattogram
Afghanistan vs Ireland - 3rd ODI
26 Jan, 2021 11:30 IST
Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Bangladesh vs West Indies - 3rd ODI
25 Jan, 2021 11:00 IST | 05:30 GMT
Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chattogram
Afghanistan vs Ireland - 3rd ODI
26 Jan, 2021 11:30 IST | 06:00 GMT
Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Bangladesh vs West Indies - 1st Test
03 Feb, 2021 09:00 IST | 03:30 GMT
Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chattogram
Bangladesh vs West Indies - 2nd Test
11 Feb, 2021 09:00 IST | 03:30 GMT
Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur
Bangladesh vs West Indies - 2nd ODI
Bangladesh beat West Indies by 7 wickets
Afghanistan vs Ireland - 1st ODI
Afghanistan beat Ireland by 16 runs
Bangladesh vs West Indies - 1st ODI
Bangladesh beat West Indies by 6 wickets
India beat Australia by 3 wickets
United Arab Emirates vs Ireland - 4th ODI
Ireland beat United Arab Emirates by 112 runs