Kapil Dev, the legendary Indian cricket team captain and all-rounder who led India to glory in the 1983 World Cup, has been admitted to hospital after suffering a heart attack. According to several reports, Kapil Dev is in a stable condition after undergoing angioplasty and he is out of danger. Kapil Dev is credited to putting India on the world map as he defeated the mighty West Indies in the 1983 World Cup final in Lord's as India won their first-ever World Cup trophy. Kapil Dev was also one of the leading all-rounders in world cricket as he smashed over 5000 runs in Tests and also took 434 wickets. His tally of wickets was the highest at one point in time but it has now been overhauled by many bowlers. Kapil Dev remains the highest wicket-taker by an Indian pacer in Tests.
The news was confirmed by journalist Teena Thacker who tweeted, "Legendary cricketer Kapil Dev @therealkapildev suffers a heart attack, undergoes angioplasty at a hospital in Delhi. Wishing him a speedy recovery." Kapil Dev was admitted to Fortis hospital in New Delhi and was reported to be in a critical situation. However, according to the latest press release from the hospital, it read, " Former Indian Cricket captain Mr Kapil Dev, age 62 years, came to Fortis Escorts Heart Institute (Okhla Road) emergency department at 1:00 am on 23rd October with a complaint of chest pain. He was evaluated and an emergency coronary Angioplasty was performed by Dr Atul Mathur, Director of Cardiology Department, in the middle of the night. Currently, he is admitted in ICU and under close supervision of Dr Atul Mathur and his team. Mr Kapil Dev is stable now and he is expected to get discharged in a couple of days.
Kapil Dev has achieved plenty of accolades for India in his stellar playing career from 1978 to 1994. He once held the best figures for an Indian bowler when he took 9/83 against the West Indies in Ahmedabad in 1983. Kapil Dev, along with Sir Ian Botham, Sir Richard Hadlee and Imran Khan of Pakistan was considered the premier all-rounders in the world of cricket during the time of the 80s. He is one of the few elite players to have scored 5000 runs and taken over 400 wickets. His most memorable instance with the bat in Tests was when he smashed four consecutive sixes off Eddie Hemmings in the 1990 Lord's Test to avoid the follow-on. During the 1992 Test in South Africa in Port Elizabeth, Kapil Dev smashed a magnificent 129 batting lower down the order.
In the domestic circuit, Kapil Dev is credited to helping Haryana win their first and only major Ranji Trophy title when his side defeated Bombay in the 1991 Ranji Trophy final by two runs. The Bombay side had greats like Sanjay Manjrekar, Vinod Kambli, Sachin Tendulkar, Dilip Vengsarkar, Chandrakant Pandit and future India cricket team bowler Abey Kuruvilla.
Great player, turbulent period as manager
As a player, Kapil Dev achieved everything that is possible with bat and ball. He had helped Indian cricket achieve a level of glory during his captaincy period. He had helped India win the 1983 World Cup, secured a historic series win in England in 1986. As the team entered into the 90s, Kapil Dev was still pivotal to the side but his returns dwindled. He carried on until he had not broken the mark of 431 set by Sir Richard Hadlee of New Zealand when it came to the highest number of Test wickets by a bowler. He broke the record during the 1994 Ahmedabad Test against Sri Lanka when he dismissed Hashan Tillakaratne and the celebrations were a testament to his longevity and his genius.
One hopes that Kapil Dev makes a speedy recovery in a year that has seen the deaths of many famous celebrities in India.
