Kapil Dev profile | INDIA

Full name Kapildev Ramlal Nikhanj

Born January 6, 1959, Chandigarh

Current age 50 years 170 days

Major teams India, Haryana, Northamptonshire,Worcestershire

Batting style Right-hand bat

Bowling style Right-arm fast-medium

Kapil Dev Ramlal Nikhanj (Hindi: कपिल देव) (born 6 January 1959, Chandigarh), better known as Kapil Dev, is a former Indian cricketer regarded as one of the greatest all-rounders of all time. He was captain when India won the world cup in 1983. Kapil Dev was named by Wisden as the Indian Cricketer of the Century in 2002. . Kapil Dev had a rather prosaic stint as India's national cricket coach for 10 months between October 1999 and August 2000.

Kapil was a right-arm pace bowler noted for his graceful action and potent outswinger, and was India's main strike bowler through most of his career. He also developed a fine inswinging yorker during the 1980s which he used very effectively against tail-enders. As a batsman he was a natural striker of the ball who could hook and drive effectively. A naturally aggressive player, he often helped India in difficult situations by taking the attack to the opposition. His nickname was The Haryana Hurricane — he used to represent the Haryana cricket team. He retired as highest wicket taker in both forms of the game and to date is the only person to take 400 wickets and score more than 5,000 runs in test cricket.

Batting and fielding averages

	Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	BF	SR	100	50	6s	Ct	St
Tests	131	184	15	5248	163	31.05			8	27	61	64	0
ODIs	225	198	39	3783	175*	23.79	3979	95.07	1	14		71	0
First-class	275	384	39	11356	193	32.91			18	56		192	0
List A	309	270	48	5461	175*	24.59			2	23		99	0

Bowling averages

	Mat	Inns	Balls	Runs	Wkts	BBI	BBM	Ave	Econ	SR	4w	5w	10
Tests	131	227	27740	12867	434	9/83	11/146	29.64	2.78	63.9	17	23	2
ODIs	225	221	11202	6945	253	5/43	5/43	27.45	3.71	44.2	3	1	0
First-class	275		48853	22626	835	9/83		27.09	2.77	58.5		39	3
List A	309		14947	9161	335	5/43	5/43	27.34	3.67	44.6	3	2	0

Profile

Wisden overview
Kapil Dev was the greatest pace bowler India has produced, and their greatest fast-bowling allrounder. If he had played at any other time - not when Imran Khan, Ian Botham and Richard Hadlee were contemporaries - he would surely have been recognised as the best allrounder in the world. In any case he did enough to be voted India's Cricketer of the Century during 2002, ahead of Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar. His greatest feats were to lead India almost jauntily, and by his allround example, to the 1983 World Cup, and to take the world-record aggregate of Test wickets from Hadlee. It was the stamina of the marathon runner that took him finally to 431 wickets and only a yard beyond. He might not have been quite the bowling equal of Imran, Hadlee or Botham at his best, and his strike rate was less than four wickets per Test. But he was still outstanding in his accuracy and ability to swing the ball, usually away from right-handers. And he could hit a ball even more brilliantly than he bowled it, with uncomplicated flair.

Kapil had a rather ordinary stint as India's coach for ten months between October 1999 and August 2000. Att the height of the match fixing allegation by Manoj Prabhakar -- a charge that was subsequently dismissed - Kapil resigned as coach. Hurt by the betting controversy, he announced that he was leaving the game. However, he returned from a significantly quiet period when Wisden named him as one of 16 finalists for the Indian Cricketer of the Century award. He won, and then returned to cricket as a bowling consultant and served as chairman of National Cricket Academy for two years. In May 2007, Kapil joined the breakaway Indian Cricket League, which led to his removal from the NCA.