Kapil
Dev Nikhanj
It
would not be wrong if
one
would call kapil Dev one of the greatest all-rounder’s of not
just Indian
cricket but also in the history of the game. Such have been the deeds
of this
natural cricketer from Haryana that words would not be enough to
describe them.
Ever since he took to the game in the late 70's to the time he called
it quits
in the mid 90's, he remained a leading all-rounder in the game. He held
the
record for the most number of Tests and One-day wickets for quite a
long time.
Courtney Walsh and Wasim
Akram
took over respectively. Kapil was a truly inspirational cricketer who
has
charted the course of many a famous Indian victory almost single
handed.
Captaining India to win the Prudential World Cup in 1983 obviously was
the
highlight of his illustrious career.
Kapil
Dev was born in a
timber
merchant's family on 6th January, 1959 in Chandigarh.
Surprisingly
for such a talented cricketer, there was never a lineage of cricket in
his
family. His father, Ramlal Nikhanj who was a thorough perfectionist and
a
strict disciplinarian instilled in him the virtues of hard work.
Kapil
played his first
really
competitive game of cricket at the young age of 13 and quite
accidentally too.
In Chandigarh one Sunday, the Sector 16 team fell one player short and
Kapil,
who had gone to watch the match was roped in. The young Kapil impressed
all
with his attitude and talent and thus became a regular member of the
side.
No
sooner did he realise
that
he had some talent he wanted to excel in the sport. The fighter that he
always
was, the young lad, fought all odds to test his skills against quality
opposition. His elder brother Bhushan Dev, who was three years older to
Kapil,
gave him the biggest encouragement and at age of 14, Kapil started
playing for DAV
school and college.
He
was coached by Desh
Prem
Azad who was the only well known coach in the city of Chandigarh. Such
was his
love for the game that after the school hours at 1.30 p.m. he would
race home
on his bicycle, take a quick lunch and set out for the cricket ground
at 2.15
p.m. only to be there at 2.40 p.m. When Kapil was 15 he attended a
live-in
coaching camp in Bombay. The camp was conducted at the Cricket Club of
India by
Hemu Adhikari who also was an ex-India's test cap and commentator.
After a
long and tiring
practice session the boys were offered a paltry lunch. Kapil was upset
and said
to the organiser, Mr. Tarapore, “I am from the North. I work hard
and bowl
fast. I am hungry when I finish. I could eat a horse and all you can
give me is
two chappatis". Mr. Tarapore was shocked at his outburst. Mr. Tarapore
then passed a sarcastic remark saying that was India and there were no
fast
bowlers in India. Kapil took this humiliation in his stride but this
incident
went a long way in strengthening his resolve to be the best and fastest
bowler
that India has ever produced.
Kapil
Dev made his Test
debut
against Pakistan on 16th October 1978 at Faisalabad in
Pakistan.
Although India lost the series there was a silver lining at the end of
the tour
as the series heralded the arrival of Kapil Dev Nikhanj as a fast
bowler and an
all rounder of considerable merit. He remained India's spearhead
pacemen for a
decade and a half. Hence, he was nicknamed as 'Haryana Hurricane'.
Many
believe that he did
not
take his batting seriously. He was a hard hitter. However, his 5000
plus runs,
434 test wickets and 64 catches reveal that truly he was a great all
rounder.
Other achievements are his unbeaten 175 against Zimbabwe in the World
Cup in
1983 when India were tottering at 17/5. His four successive sixes of
Eddie
Hemmings in the first innings of the Lords Test in 1990 to get the 24
runs
needed to avoid the follow on, are now, of course, part of cricketing
folklore.
He
accepted the job of the
Indian Coach in 1999. All his remarkable deeds have made him the
Cricketer of
the Millennium. Truly an achievement for a simple lad from a timber
merchant's
family!
What
was so special about Kapil was he can bowl
both inswinger and outswinger, turning the ball in the air. At that
time,
England had a similar all-rounder called Ian Botham, and there was
always a
neck and neck race between these two. Fearing his attack, the mighty
Australians named him as KAPIL DEVIL!.