New Delhi: Captain of the 1983 World Cup-winning team Kapil Dev was hospitalised here Friday due to heart-related ailments. The matter came to light after commentator Harsha Bhogle wished Kapil Dev a speedy recovery on his Twitter account. He has been admitted to the Fortis hospital here.
Sources said that Kapil Dev had suffered a heart attack Thursday. He has undergone angioplasty and is currently in stable condition.
It was Kapil Dev who really made India a force to reckon with in the shorter version of the game. Starting as underdogs India won their maiden World Cup at Lord’s in 1983. During the tournament, Kapil had played a played a knock of 175 against Zimbabwe that many say was instrumental in getting India the title. In that game India had slipped to 17 for five and a loss in the match would have resulted in India’s ouster from the tournament.
Kapil incidentally can be said to be the pioneer of fast bowling in India. It was because of him aspiring cricketers took to fast bowling and today what we see started with Kapil. He also became the world’s highest wicket-taker and ended his career with 434 Test wickets in his kitty. He also scored 5,248 runs in Tests with eight centuries and 27 half centuries.
In the ODIs, Kapil had 253 wickets and scored 3,783 runs. However, statistics cannot just describe the man. It was his flamboyant style of cricket that made him the heartthrob and favourite of millions not only in India but across the world.
The hospital later in the day said in a tweet: “Former Indian Cricket captain Mr Kapil Dev , age 62 years, came to Fortis Escorts Heart Institute (Okhla Road) emergency department at 1.00 am 23rd October with a complaint of chest pain. He was evaluated and an emergency coronary angioplasty was performed in the middle of night. Currently, he is admitted in ICU and under close supervision of Dr Atul Mathur and his team. Kapil Dev is stable now and he is expected to get discharged in a couple of days.”
Angioplasty is a procedure to open blocked arteries and restore normal blood flow to the heart.
Indian Cricketers Association (ICA) president Ashok Malhotra, a childhood friend of Kapil stated the iconic cricketer is doing fine. “He is feeling okay now. I just spoke to his wife (Romi). He was feeling uneasy yesterday (Thursday). He is undergoing check-ups at a hospital as we speak,” Malhotra, also a former Test player, said.
The legendary all-rounder was wished a speedy recovery by many on social media, including India’s current captain Virat Kohli. “Praying for your speedy recovery. Get well soon paaji,” said Kohli.
This is what the others said:
Shikhar Dhawan: Wishing you a speedy recovery @therealkapildev sir. Strength always.
Madan Lal: To those who have called to inquire your prayers and wishes are conveyed to the family and received with gratitude. Good health and strength Kaps (Kapil’s nickname).
One of India’s greatest cricketers, Kapil played 131 Tests and 225 ODIs. He is the only player in cricket’s history to claim over 400 wickets (434) and accumulate more than 5000 runs in Tests. Kapil was inducted into the International Cricket Council’s Hall of Fame in 2010.