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HT This Day: Feb 04, 1992 -- Kapil Dev reaches landmark
Playing in his 115th Test match, Indian all-rounder Kapil Dev today went on to claim his 400th Test victim, a milestone only crossed by Sir Richard Hadlee of New Zealand
Playing in his 115th Test match, Indian all-rounder Kapil Dev today went on to claim his 400th Test victim, a milestone only crossed by Sir Richard Hadlee of New Zealand.
Kapil Dev, who turned 33 on Jan. 6, achieved the landmark when he trapped Australian opener Mark Taylor leg-before in the last session of the third day of the final Test at Perth (Australia).
Soon after the tea interval came Kapil’s historic feat. A delighted Kapil Dev jumped in the air as umpire Tony Crafter raised his finger to signal Taylor out.
During the current tour of Australia, Kapil Dev had reached another milestone when he became the first bowler to have taken more than 200 wickets in one-day cricket.
Kapil Dev, who began his Test career in 1978 during the tour of Pakistan, now has a lone target in front of him--the all-time haul of 431 wickets by Hadlee.
PTI adds from Perth: When Kapil Dev returned to the dressing room this evening after taking his 400th Test wicket, awaiting him was a faxed message of congratulations from Sir Richard Hadlee, who was the first bowler to establish the landmark and who retired in 1990 with a career tally of 431 wickets.
Couched a sincere and glowing, terms, Sir Richard’s message, written in his own hand, read: “Dear Kaps, congratulations on reaching 400. It is a magnificent achievement, attributable to your own talents and skills. Your determination to strive for excellence has been rewarded. Well done. Go for 432.
Sitting beside Kapil, has he sipped as glass of celebratory champagne (this is my first drink since my birthday, 28 days ago, said Kapil) was his former captain and the man who caught Pakistan’s Sadiq Mohammed the slips to give Kapil his first wicket, Sunil Gavaskar. That was in Faislabad 14 years ago.
The retired maestro said: “Kapsie has got 400 wickets not only for being an outstanding bowler but from having a big heart and a strong body. Never, in so many Test matches in which I was captain, did he ever say to me he was too tired to continue a spell or come on for another.
“While evaluating his achievement, you must remember that almost half his Test matches have been on dead Indian wickets and also that until recently, he had so little support frorn the opposite end. Besides he has made more than 4,500 runs.
A deliriously happy Kapil said, “I am not only happy for myself but proud that I have done it as an Indian because people say that Indians cannot make fast bowlers.
Although 33-year-old, an age when pace bowlers contemplate retirement, Kapil talked in terms of 500 wickets.
“I hope my family will be there to see me get my 500th wicket. I thought of them today as soon as the umpire’s finger went up,” he said.
“I want to pass Hadlee’s record quickly, before anybody passes Sunil’s 10,000-run mark so that the record books show an Indian on top of both the batting and bowling aggregates. Once I have got 432 wickets, I want to concentrate more on my batting, I am sure that by then, Manoj Prabhakar and Srinath will have matured to bear the main bowling burden,” Kapil Dev said.
In his 115 Tests, and 169 innings, with the last still in progress at Perth, Kapil Dev has taken a five-wicket haul in an innings on 23 occasions, with seven times against Australia and Pakistan.
He has captured ten wickets in a match twice and his best bowling was the rfine for 83 against West Indies at Ahmedabad in 1983-84.
Bowling milestones (read under wicket number, batsman, test against, venue, year and Kapil Dev’s Test appearance). 1 Sadiq Mohammed-Pakistan, Faislabad (1978-79) 1st; 50 Bruce Yardley-Australia, Kanpur (197980) 16th; 100 Taslim Arif-Pakistan, Calcutta (1979-80) 25th; 150 Chris Tavare-England, Lord’s (1982) 39th: 200 Andy Roberts-W. Indies, Port-of-Spain (1983) 50th; 250 Allan Lamb--England, Bombay (1984-85) 65th; 300 Romesh Ratnayake-Sri Lanka, Cuttack (1986-87) 83rd; 350 Javed Miandad--Pakistan, Karachi (1989-90) 100th; 400 Mark TaylorAustralia, Perth (1991-92) 115th.
Kapil Dev’s 267th wicket of Amal Silva of Sri Lanka at Kandy, 1985-86 in his 71st Test eclipsed Bishen Singh Bedi’s Indian record of 266 Test wickets.
Following is the break-up of Kapil Dev’s 400 Test wickets: Against Pakistan-99 wickets in 29 Tests, 5944 balls, 210 maidens and 2982 runs.
Against West Indies-89 wickets in 25 Tests, 4639 balls, 168 maidens and 2216 runs.
Against England---78 wickets in 24 Tests, 6035 balls, 312 maidens and 3041 runs.
Against Australia-78 wickets in 20 Tests, 3382 balls. 195 maidens and 1973 runs.
Against Sri Lanka-33 wickets in eight Tests, 1816 balls, 75 maidens and 860 runs.
Against New Zealand--23 wickets in nine Tests, 1787 balls, 67 maidens and 792 runs.
Analysis: 24,883 balls, 916 maidens, 11,864 runs, 400 wickets, average 29.66.
