Kapil Dev. Photo- Getty
Kapil Dev. Photo- Getty

India’s World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev was in Vadodara (Baroda) on Saturday (April 23) and had an interaction with the students of Parul University.

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The former Indian all-rounder answered some of the students’ interesting questions.

1983 World Cup win was the greatest thing to happen to Indian cricket: Kapil Dev

India were on the cusp of elimination from the 1983 World Cup after heavy defeats against Australia and the West Indies. The Indian team had to somehow win against Zimbabwe to keep their campaign alive.

After opting to bat first, India were reduced to 17 for five at one stage. Kapil Dev’s monumental unbeaten 175 lifted the team’s score to 266/8 in the first innings.

Kapil Dev Names The Batter And Bowler He Would Like To Face From Current Indian Team

India eventually won by 31 runs after they bowled Zimbabwe out for 235 in 57 overs. Kapil Dev and his men went on to lift the maiden ICC title for India after beating West Indies in the final.

Unfortunately for the Indian cricket fans, Kapil Dev’s 175* was never recorded on camera as then official broadcasters BBC went on a nation-wide strike on the matchday.

“Bahot log shayad ye sun sun ke pak gaye honge, ki wo innings ke videos nahi hai. (A lot of people have told me that they are frustrated to not find videos of that innings) Considering the circumstances it was a very important innings. But as a cricketer, there are times when even a score of 40 on a challenging pitch gives you more satisfaction than scoring a century,” the former Indian skipper said.

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“For instance, I scored a half century against New Zealand in Australia and that gave me immense satisfaction because it came during a very difficult situation. But overall, the 1983 World Cup win was the greatest thing to happen to Indian cricket,” he added.

Kapil Dev names the batter and bowler he would like to face from the current Indian team

When the 63-year-old was asked which batter and bowler he would like to face from the current generation, he named KL Rahul and Jasprit Bumrah.

Bumrah KL Rahul
Bumrah and KL Rahul. Image: IPL 2022

Both Rahul and Bumrah have been an integral part of the Indian cricket team over the years. Rahul and Bumrah are also considered potential leaders to succeed Rohit Sharma as Indian team captain in the future.

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