Kapil Dev: The greatest allrounder who transformed test cricket, ODI cricket and India’s cricket
Yesterday, Ranveer Singh released a photo of his upcoming film 1983 in Twitter. For a moment, I thought it was a photo of Kapil Dev’s famous Natraj shot and it took a while to realize that it was Ranveer and not the real Kapil Dev. I was amazed by the uncanny resemblance brought by Team1983. It also made me think why the current generation speaks so much of Kohli, Dhoni, Tendulkar but very little of Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev. Yes, time will dim the spotlight on all the great players and very few will stand out across generations. Also, there were not that many matches that were played and there were not that many videos of these great players. There were not that many news channels and no social media.
In addition, there is another factor that is taking the spotlight and that is the evolution of analytics in cricket. There is data for everything in cricket these days but these data can’t capture the context of different generations and different situations. If you watch the videos on youtube where current players choose their favorite XI, most of the players they choose are the modern-day greats. So it is not only fans. Even professional cricketers are gullible.
So why is Kapil Dev so great?
I’ll also start with some statistics so that this doesn’t sound like an opinionated view. Kapil Dev is the ONLY player in cricket who has taken more than 400 wickets and scored 5000 runs in test cricket. When he retired, he had taken 434 wickets in test cricket, a world record that was broken after 6 years by Courtney Walsh. He was named by Wisden as the Indian Cricketer of the Century in 2002. Tendulkar was 29 and at the peak of his prowess then. Kapil Dev was regarded as one of the greatest captains in cricket. He led the underdogs India to an improbable win in the 1983 World Cup and laid the foundation for India to aspire to the heights it is now.
When we look at data, one will immediately conclude that Jacques Kallis as the greatest allrounder. Of course, he has scored 13, 292 runs at 55.38 average and got 292 wickets. Kallis has an exceptional record but he was never a captain and also, he is not a batsman who was feared like a Tendulkar or Lara and he was not a bowler who was dominant like some of the other fast bowlers. He was a defensive, high-quality batsman and a useful bowler. Garfield Sobers had a 57.8 average and 235 wickets. He was also a captain and also, the holder of the highest test score of 365 for a long time before Brian Lara broke that record. Garfield Sobers is my definition of an allrounder — one who plays three or more key roles in a team including the role of the captain for a long period of time.
If you look at the list of bowlers who have got more than 200 test wickets, only 3 players qualify in my definition. It is Sobers, Kapil Dev, and Imran Khan. Only 75 players have achieved this big milestone of 200 test wickets in test cricket. If you look at the list of batsmen who have scored more than 5000 runs, only Kapil Dev and Sobers will qualify in my definition. Only 98 players have achieved this unique milestone. So, it is a relatively equal number of bowlers and batsmen to choose from, which is why I chose these two milestones (5000 runs and 200 test wickets).
Based on my definition, it is essentially a contest between Garfield Sobers, Kapil Dev, and Imran Khan. Now to arrive at the genuinely great all-rounder, I would use the following criteria.
- His Impact as a batsman
- His Impact as a bowler
- His Impact as a captain
- His Impact on cricket in his country
Garfield Sobers:
As a batsman, he created two world records: 1. The highest test score of 365 not out against Pakistan which he held for 36 years. This was his first test century and he scored these runs when he was just 21 years old 2. First batsman to hit six sixes in first-class cricket when he clobbered Malcolm Nash in English county cricket. As a bowler, he was a deceptive and useful spin bowler who took 235 wickets with 6/73 as his best bowling figure. Sobers had a poor run as captain losing four-test series against England, Australia and India from 1967 to 1971. To lose 4 tests as the captain of the strongest and mightiest cricket team does not speak well for him. In summary, he created two important world records as a batsman. He played only one ODI but he would have been very successful in any format.
Imran Khan:
The ultra handsome Imran Khan was a useful middle-order batsman who averaged in mid-thirties with six test centuries and one ODI century. He was a better bowler with 362 test wickets at 22.81 and 182 test wickets at 26.61. He was stellar as a captain helping Pakistan to win its first world cup in 1992. He was credited for his ability to spot and groom talent in the team. He picked Inzamam ul Haq, one of the all-time batting greats, who helped Pakistan in the 1992 world cup and inspired the great Pakistan pace battery including Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Aquib Javed. In summary, Imran is a world cup winning captain who inspired a generation of Pakistani cricketers to aspire to become the fast bowlers and also, gave hope to a whole nation that they can succeed at the highest levels. Imran would have been successful in any format and is one of my all-time favorites.
Kapil Dev:
Kapil Dev created three world records. He was a useful middle-order batsman who scored 8 test centuries and one ODI century averaging in the lower thirties. But the one century he scored, 175 not out, was the world record for the highest individual innings breaking Glenn Turner’s 171 not out. His inning is considered as the greatest knock in ODI cricket because of the circumstances under which he scored the runs when India was reeling at 17/5 and his knock inspired India to win the match as well get the confidence to win the 1983 world cup.
Kapil Dev’s second world record was in bowling with the highest number of test wickets when he retired with 434 test wickets. Kapil Dev’s third world record was also in bowling when he became the first bowler to take 200 ODI wickets.
In addition, he helped an underdog Indian team to win the 1983 world cup against the mighty West Indies playing the most important roles as a batsman, bowler, fielder, and captain. Nobody gave a chance for India in the final and his spectacular catch running backwards to dismiss the swashbuckling Viv Richards turned the match around in India’s favour. India went on to defend a low total under his inspired leadership and win the cup. That win gave belief to not just India but to the whole of South Asia that they can aspire big in cricket. The 1983 world cup victory transformed Indian Cricket forever. In summary, Kapil Dev created three world records, two in bowling and one in batting, and also, helped India to win the 1983 World Cup.
For a country that is known to produce slow bowlers and spin bowlers, Kapil was the first of his kind in the country. He created the road called fast bowling in India and today, we are reaping the rewards in the form of Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvi and Shammi. His 175 not out is far superior to any ODI innings and if there was T20 cricket at that time, he would have been the top pick for any franchise. Kapil Dev’s impact in test cricket, ODI cricket, and cricket in his country is unparalleled which is why Wisden rated him as the Indian cricketer of the century in 2002. I hope Ranveer Singh and the crew of 1983 do full justice to highlight the contribution of this greatest cricketer India has ever produced through their film, 1983.
If India is a superpower in cricket today, there is one man who has contributed to it more than any other cricketer from the country. He is called the Haryana Hurricane. He is Kapil Dev.
