Kapil Dev birthday: 1983 WC winning captain reveals 'mistake' that made him play cricket

Former Indian captain Kapil Dev turned 62 on Wednesday, January 6. The legendary all-rounder is widely regarded as one of the best Indian captains of all time. It was under his leadership that the Indian national side marched to World Cup glory in 1983. On the occasion of Kapil Dev's 62nd birthday, here is a look back at the time when the dashing all-rounder revealed reasons that prompted him to take up the sport.

ICC celebrates Kapil Dev's birthday

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Kapil Dev recalls “hatred for studies” and “selection mistake” for taking cricket seriously

Kapil Dev interacted with Gaurav Kapur on Oaktree Sports’ show Breakfast with Champions in June 2019. During their conversation, host Gaurav Kapur asked the former Indian captain to narrate the “breakthrough moment” of his life that prompted him to take up cricket. The ‘Haryana Hurricane’ hilariously revealed that he loved playing anything during childhood, be it marbles, cricket or football, as long as it kept him away from studies. The legendary cricketer said that he left playing football because a game of soccer concludes under two hours while cricket lasts for a day.  

Apart from his dislike for studies, Kapil Dev also recalled a “selection mistake” that occurred with him during his playing days at school. He said that eight or nine boys were selected from his school batch for Haryana school trials while he was omitted. Describing his snub as the “turning point” of his life, he took the game “seriously” and practised bowling in school with new balls daily until his colleagues were back from the trials.

Kapil Dev said that when he resumed training with his batch-mates, he used to pepper them with bouncers out of anger to send “three or four boys daily to the hospital”. Kapil Dev’s newfound aggression with the ball garnered much attention from the state selectors. Less than a year later he was selected for a Hot Weather Cricket Tournament in Delhi.

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A look into Kapil Dev career stats

The Kapil Dev career stats, especially in Tests, composes of some staggering numbers. His hard and aggressive training sessions in school apparently paid off as he went on to become India’s most successful fast bowler of all time. Across 131 Tests between 1978 and 1994, the all-rounder collected 434 wickets, an Indian record for fast bowlers, and also aggregated 5,248 runs at a healthy clip of 31.05.

How much is Kapil Dev's net worth?

According to caknowledge.com, the Kapil Dev net worth figure is estimated to be approximately $30 million (₹219 crores) as of 2020. The aforementioned net worth figure comprises of his earnings from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) as a former Indian cricket player. The Kapil Dev net worth figure also comprises of his several investments and business ventures since he is the owner of Kaptain’s Retreat Hotel as well as Dev Musco Lighting (stadium lighting).

He also owns Captain’s Eleven, a line of restaurants in Chandigarh and Patna. In 2015, he purchased a minority stake in Samco Ventures Pvt. Ltd.

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Kapil Dev health updates

In October 2020, the legendary cricketer suffered a heart attack and was hospitalised in Delhi immediately after. Just a day later, his teammate from the yesteryears, Chetan Sharma posted an update on his social media accounts, saying that the decorated cricketer was feeling better. Here is a look at Kapil Dev's health update from October last year.

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Disclaimer: The above Kapil Dev net worth information is sourced from various websites and media reports. The website does not guarantee a 100% accuracy of the Kapil Dev net worth figures.

Image source: ICC Twitter