6 lesser known cricket records of Kapil Dev

Kapil Dev was the first Indian captain to lead India to a World Cup win in 1983.

Kapil Dev is one of the finest all-rounders to play the game of cricket. He is among the most impactful cricketers in the world that won a number of matches for India. Since making his debut in 1978, Kapil Dev became first ever captain to lead his country to a World Cup win, with MS Dhoni being the next.

He represented India between 1978 and 1994. Kapil played 131 tests and took 434 wickets with the ball and scored 5248 runs with the bat which included 8 hundreds. In 225 ODIs, he scored 3783 runs and took 253 wickets. There are a number of records made and broken by the former Indian captain. But there are a few records, that have not been highlighted much, but are quite impressive.

Here are the Five lesser known records of Kapil Dev

1. First Indian batsman to hit an ODI century :

Kapil Dev scored only one ODI hundred in his career. But not many would know that he was the first Indian batter to reach the three figures in the 50-over cricket. It came in a must-win game against Zimbabwe during World Cup 1983. This is probably one of the best ODI hundreds by an Indian because when he came out to bat, India were 17/5. He scored 175 off 138 balls and helped India reach 266/8. Eventually, India won that game by 31 runs.

2. Highest wicket-taker in test cricket at one time – 434 wickets – From 30 January, 1994 to 27 March, 2000 :

Kapil retired in 1994 with 434 test wickets in 131 tests matches. At that time, he was the highest wicket-taker in the world. He went past Kiwi legend Richard Hadlee, who retired in 1990 with 431 wickets. He stayed as the highest wicket-taker in tests until 2000 when Courtney Walsh broke his record.

3. Fastest test 100 by an Indian batsman – 74 Balls vs Sri Lanka, Kanpur, 1986

The record for the fastest test ton by an Indian batsman also belongs to Kapil Dev. He smashed a 74-ball ton against Sri Lanka in 1986 in Kanpur. He made 163 runs in that innings and the game ended in a draw. This was also the highest test score for the former Indian captain in tests.

4. Best bowling figures as a captain in an innings in test cricket – 9/83 vs WI, 1983 :

The record for the best bowling figures in a test innings by a captain is also registered under the name of Kapil Dev. Though it came in a losing cause, but this record is still unbreakable. He took 9/83 in the second innings against West Indies in Ahmedabad and helped the team to dismiss them at 201. But West Indies won that game by 138 runs.

5. Only cricketer to score 5000+ runs and take 400+ wickets in International cricket :

Kapil Dev was probably the best all-rounder that India have ever produced and was among the best in the world. In test cricket, he played a total of 131 tests and took 434 wickets at an average of 29.64, including 23 five-wicket-hauls. With the bat, he scored 5248 runs with 8 hundreds and 27 half-centuries. He is the only cricketer with a double of 400+ wickets and 5000+ runs in test cricket.

6. Youngest captain ever to win ICC Cricket World Cup:

West Indies won the first two editions of the ICC World Cups in 1975 and 1979. Then, it was India, who became the second team to get their hands on the title under Kapil Dev’s captaincy in 1983 when they beat West Indies in the final. Kapil led the team at the age of 24 years and 170 days to become World Champions. Until now, he is the youngest captain to win a World Cup. Ricky Ponting is the second youngest captain to lift World Cup trophy at the age of 28 years and 94 days (2003 World Cup).

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