Full Name

Kapildev Ramlal Nikhanj

Born

January 06, 1959, Chandigarh

Age

65y 73d

Batting Style

Right hand Bat

Bowling Style

Right arm Fast medium

Playing Role

Bowling Allrounder

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 all-round 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 10 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 their Indian Cricketer of the Century. 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.
Scyld Berry June 2008

Kapil Dev Career Stats

Bowling

FormatMatInnsBallsRunsWktsBBIBBMAveEconSR4w5w10w
Tests13122727740128674349/8311/14629.642.7863.917232
ODIs2252211120269452535/435/4327.453.7144.2310
FC275-48853226268359/83-27.092.7758.5-393
List A310-1494791613355/435/4327.343.6744.6320

Batting & Fielding

FormatMatInnsNORunsHSAveBFSR100s50s6sCtSt
Tests13118415524816331.05--82761640
ODIs225198393783175*23.79397995.07114-710
FC275384391135619332.91--1856-1920
List A310270475481175*24.57--223-990
Kapildev Ramlal Nikhanj

Explore Statsguru Analysis

Test
ODI

Debut/Last Matches of Kapil Dev

FC Matches

Span
1975/76 - 1993/94

List A Matches

Span
1977/78 - 1994/95

Recent Matches of Kapil Dev

Photos of Kapil Dev

Kapil Dev and Sachin Tendulkar catch up at an event
Pravin Amre, Sachin Tendulkar, Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar and Dilip Vengsarkar at a book launch
Former team-mates Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev share a laugh at a book launch
Anshuman Gaekwad, Kapil Dev and Shanta Rangaswamy after a CAC meeting
Kapil Dev is all smiles
Kapil Dev arrives at an event