This day, that year: 19-year-old Kapil Dev makes Test debut in 1978

Nearly 41 years ago, today was the day when a 19-year-old Kapil Dev graced an International Test match for the first time. Kapil Dev, who is 60 now, led India to its first World Cup in 1983 and became a historical figure in Indian cricket. His debut at Faisalabad was not statistically too significant but it displayed great signs of the boost Indian cricket was about to receive. Kapil played his last Test match in 1994.

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The start of a legendary inning

In the match which got drawn, Pakistan skipper Mushtaq Mohammad won the toss and chose to bat first. Kapil's spell in the first innings was pretty uneventful for the most part as he could not get a wicket. In his 16 overs, he conceded 71 runs including two maiden overs. In the Indian innings, Kapil came to bat at number eight and could contribute only as many runs as his batting position. 

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The second Pakistan innings were where Kapil showed signs of what was to come. He got his maiden Test wicket in the form of Pakistan opener Sadiq Mohammad. He was India's most economical bowler as he bowled 12 overs including three maidens, only giving away 25 runs at an economy of 2.08. Kapil never came to bat in the second innings as India tied the match with openers Sunil Gavaskar and Chetan Chauhan remaining unbeaten.

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One of India's most impactful players

Kapil scored 5248 runs in Test matches. He had 434 Test wickets to go along with these statistics. His contributions to the Indian team established him as one of the greatest all-rounders in Cricket and a legendary figure in Indian cricket. He still holds the unique record of having scored more than 4000 runs in Test cricket while taking 400 wickets.

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