Forty years ago, on this day, Inlan’s captain Kapil Dev had registered his name in cricket history by performing brilliantly. Leading the Indian team for the first time in the ODI World Cup, the 24-year-old Kapil played an unforgettable knock against Zimbabwe at the Neville Ground in Tunbridge Wells. In a crucial match to keep India’s World Cup dreams alive, the team found themselves in dire straits, losing their top five batsmen for just 17 runs on the board.
Kapil Dev and 8__3__
__Became the youngest captain to win the World Cup in 1983_.
__Indian team scored a total of 183 runs in that final v/s the mighty West Indies.
His best figure in a Test innings is
9/83.
His height- 183 cm
His biopic film- 1983
His ODI runs – 3783 pic.twitter.com/Lk6oA9bgFs— Amal Sudhakaran (@amal_sachinism) July 30, 2020
Kapil Dev’s entry at number six. Against all odds, he dashed expectations and single-handedly turned the tide in India’s favour. With determination and skill, Kapil played a stunning knock of 175 not out off just 138 balls. It not only created a world record at that time but also revived India’s hopes of lifting the coveted World Cup trophy.
Sadly, there is no footage available to capture the magnificence of that innings. The reason behind this absence is not, as some claim, a BBC strike. In fact, four matches took place that day: West Indies v Australia at Lord’s, England v Pakistan at Old Trafford in Manchester, New Zealand v Sri Lanka at the County Ground in Derby, and India v Zimbabwe at Tunbridge Wells.
In these fixtures, India’s match was considered the least important because of their performance in the previous games. The BBC, the sole broadcaster, chose to cover the first two matches live and recorded highlights for the second game. Unfortunately, the match in Tunbridge Wells received no coverage, not even a camera, as it was deemed not worthy of attention. As a result, the only witnesses to Kapil’s iconic innings are those fortunate enough to be present at the ground that day.











