Background

Kapil Dev Nikhanj was born in Chandigarh, India. His mother, Raj Kumari, was born in Pakpattan, Pakistan, and his father, Ram Lal Nikhanj, was from Dipalpur, Pakistan. He has four sisters who were born in Pakistan. In the aftermath of the partition, his family moved to India and settled in Fazilka, Punjab. Two of his brothers were born after his family got settled in India. His father was a well-known timber merchant. Later, the family moved to Chandigarh, where Kapil was born. Kapil attended D.A.V school and joined cricketer, Desh Prem Azad for classes. From these classes, he learns the most about cricket and geared up his strengths with clear vision and practice.

First Appearance

His Test cricket debut, made at the age of 19, was unfortunately unimpressive. Yet in the third test of the same series in 1978, he smashed a 33-ball half-century, a glimpse of the aggressive batting style that he displayed throughout his career.

He scored his maiden century in test cricket against the West Indies at Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi, in 124 balls. The first 5 wicket haul he ever took was on his first tour of England.

Ascend to Glory

In starting days of his international career, he also had some nervous patches. But, in January 1979, against the West Indies, he scored his maiden Test century with 126 runs off just 124 balls.

His five-wicket hauls against Australia and two 5-wicket hauls against England established him as India's first fast bowler. During Pakistan's 1979 tour of India, his performance made him famous. He helped India win two test matches; scoring 69 runs at Wankhede Mumbai and taking his first 10-wicket haul in the fifth test match. In 25 matches, Dev took 100 test wickets and 1000 runs during the series, becoming the youngest cricketer to achieve that feat. In 1980-81, India toured Australia where Dev sustained a groin injury before the third test match. He was supposed to take a rest, but he refused and was inducted into the team. With his bowling of 28/5, he startled the Australians. As a result, India won that match and drew the series 1-1.

Low Point

Kapil Dev doesn't look back on his cricketing career as having a low point. However, he has gone through difficulties in his personal life which indirectly impacted his concentration on cricket. Those low points/problems are as follows:

• In 1994, at the height of the match-fixing controversy, former BCCI President I.S. Bindra alleged Kapil Dev had offered Manoj Prabhakar money to underperform during India's tour of Sri Lanka. Ultimately, the allegations were dismissed.
• In 2016, Kapil Dev and his wife, Romi Bhatia, were investigated by the Income Tax Department after they bought shares of a company at a discount.

Captaincy

Kapil Dev was made India's captain during the 1982 tour of the West Indies, replacing Sunil Gavaskar. On the other hand, India was only able to secure one ODI win during the entire tour. During the world cup, India lost only two matches; one to Australia and one to the West Indies. It was his captain's innings of 175 runs in just 138 balls against Zimbabwe that turned the tide for India.

In the semifinals, India defeated England by six wickets, and in the final, it faced the West Indies. After getting 183 runs all out and Dev only scoring 15 runs and taking one wicket, India went on to win the World Cup after restricting the West Indies to 140 runs.

It was the first time an Indian captain had done so for India. That's why everyone loves and respects him. It is because he is one of the most selfless captains in the world.

Kapil’s Record

Test Cricket

• In 1994, he broke Sir Richard Hadlee's record for highest wicket-taking in cricket. His record was broken in 1999 by Courtney Walsh of the West Indies.
• The only player to record 4000 runs in test matches and 400 wickets in one season.
• The highest numbers of innings in a career (184) without being run out.
• Youngest cricketer to take 100, 200, and 300 test wickets.
• Only captain to take nine wickets in test innings.

ODI Cricket

• From 1978 to 1994, highest wicket-taker in ODI Cricket.
• On March 22, 1985, peak rating (631), was the highest ever achieved after a World Series final against Pakistan in Australia.
• Highest ODI scores batting in the number 6 order in World Cup history-- 175 Not Out.
• The most number of balls in an ODI inning when batting at the number 6 position in ODI history. The record was tied with Neil McCallum-- 138 balls.

Retirement

Kapil Dev retired in 1994. Upon retiring in 1994, he took up golf and was the only Asian founding member of the Laureus Foundation. He was also appointed as India's coach in 1999, but after a string of bad results and allegations of match-fixing, he left the role.