Birthday wishes poured in from the cricketing fraternity for India’s best all-rounder. Here is what players across generations, and from across the border, told about the Haryana Hurricane, the elite fast bowler Kapil Dev who also went at a fast clip with the bat and also dazzled as a fielder with his magnificent athleticism.
Yuvraj Singh
Kapil paaji played with my dad (Yograj Singh). I heard many inspirational stories about him. In terms of training and fitness he set new benchmarks for cricketers. He’s one of the greatest all-rounders to play the game. That he is from my home town is even more exciting. You feel proud that you know someone like Kapil paaji so well. I take great pride in the fact that in my generation all the young fast bowlers looked up to him. He was such an accomplished cricketer – good at bowling, batting and fielding. What more could a captain ask for!
Ajay Jadeja
Kapil Dev means everything. He means cricket. He means batting, bowling and fielding. For a 12-year-old, watching Kapil Dev take wickets, make runs, pull off incredible catches, and then lift the World Cup, cricket meant nothing but Kapil Dev. He also symbolised winning. I was part of the Haryana team which won the Ranji Trophy in 1991 and it was all because of Kapil Dev leading the team, essentially a bunch of youngsters, who looked up to the best all-rounder the game has seen. To play alongside meant a world to players from my generation. That’s why I called him ` Devon Ka Dev Kapil Dev.’
Ashish Nehra
I was born in 1979 when Kapil paaji was making his mark as an international career. As I grew up, my interest took roots in cricket and he was one of the key reasons for me taking to fast bowling. He is the torchbearer of fast bowling in India and I only realised his greatness when I played international cricket myself. I watched his bowling closely and loved his batting. I worked hard to imbibe his skills. His fitness was amazing. In fact, his longevity was a lesson for us. My generation of cricketers owed it Kapil paaji. I think he was a perfect athlete on the cricket field.
Harbhajan Singh
Kapil paaji was my hero. I may have bowled spin but I tried to bring in his attitude towards bowling. I always wanted to emulate his fitness. His stride was so athletic and his bowling a joy to watch. He inspired me with his bowling and I never missed an opportunity to watch his batting. He was better than many regular batsmen. His all-round abilities have been well documented and followed by almost every fast bowler of my generation. Can you show me an athlete like Kapil paaji? He was flawless in every aspect of the game. He was a winner all the way and was the reason why I became a cricketer.
Agencies
