No exhaustion Kapil Dev

Kapil Dev suffering from a heart attack. “Kapil Dev is undergoing heart surgery.” In recent weeks, social media has been inundated with posts relating to the health of the former World Cup winning captain in India. Dev was in the hospital to undergo angioplasty and prayers were poured out for his speedy recovery. Perhaps the last time the country prayed for the recovery of an icon with such intensity was in 1982, when Amitabh Bachchan had to be hospitalized after suffering a fatal accident during a shoot.

Less than 20 days after being discharged from the hospital, Dev was seen walking away last week at the Delhi Golf Club, a few steps from his home. “You can’t put into words how fun it is to go back to the golf course or a cricket field. It’s great to be back at the golf course, having fun and playing with friends. That’s what life is, ”he said in a video posted to his fans and supporters, with a smile.

“Beautiful” is a word that often appears in his conversations. “Beautiful ball”, “beautiful shot”, “beautiful song” … life for Dev, as he likes to say, is simply “beautiful”. Why not? He has always lived to the fullest, and for the present.

His stay in the hospital, however, was a real shock to him. “I was not afraid even for a moment. Not at all! But it was undoubtedly a reality test. You have to accept that certain things in life change with age, “he says.” You have to understand that age can slow you down. What you did 10 years ago with comfort can seem like a tiring challenge. ”

For Dev, it’s golf that has kept him going over the past few decades. It also made him test his limits and motivated. “Fifteen years ago, I ran into a rope on the course. He had been tied two feet off the ground.

Normally, I would have jumped on it. Or I picked it up coldly and slipped under it, but realized that some things would never be the same again. I was not going to jump stairs … That lesson taught me age. I had to slow down for my own sake, “he says.” The five parathas I used to cut at breakfast were just one without butter. ”

Kapil Dev was seen admitted to a Delhi hospital after a heart attack

Staying in the hospital wasn’t even a familiar environment for the 61-year-old cricket legend who was never exhausted in any of the 131 test matches he participated in. “You experience new things. I told myself that I must be happy wherever I am. The hospital room wasn’t gonna take me down. I just kept my ears and eyes open to the environment around me before and after the surgery. Trust me, I will appreciate this experience. Well, it happened, because now I’ll take care of myself. ”

Born in Chandigarh, Dev is a self-established Dilliwala who has lived in the capital for nearly four decades. He grew up in a business family, where his loving mother made sure he had the desired diet to play cricket. His professional career took off with world-class cricket in 1975. His probationary debut took place in Faisalabad against Pakistan in 1978. In 1994, he said goodbye to professional cricket; his last match took place in an ODI against the West Indies in Faridabad, with an outstanding record: 131 tests (5,248 runs and 434 wickets) and 225 ODI (3,783 runs and 253 wickets).

In history, however, he will become the first captain of India to take home the World Cup. But Dev has also brought respect to India’s fast bowling department by making opposing hitters wear helmets and inspiring a generation to emulate him. He was a cricket champion who could command a place on the team thanks to his batting strength and his bowling prowess. Being a handyman also means that he was almost indispensable during his 15-year international career. Dev retired with the then world record for most test wickets, a record set by Courtney Walsh of the West Indies in 2000.

Two weeks after undergoing an angioplasty, Dev returned to golf

His talent also prompted him to become the coach of India in October 1999, but Dev has not met the success that was expected of him. His first day as a manager was terrible when India were eliminated 83 in 27 overs in the Test against New Zealand in Mohali. The match was drawn and India won that series 1-0, but suffered humiliation in Australia, losing all three tests on the 1999-2000 tour. The subsequent 2-0 defeat to South Africa at home accelerated Dev’s exit from the manager in August 2000.

For someone who likes to stay active, it hasn’t been easy for him to come to terms with his retirement. He had seen some of his former colleagues struggling with this stage in life. “I saw them hit the bottle in desperation and [experience the] depression resulting from fading from the limelight, “he says.” I made a conscious effort to stay relevant. And I did it while playing golf because it gave me the platform to meet different people. It kept me going. When you meet different people, you get different ideas. I would look at the people who had done well in life. I would be amazed by a lively seventy year old and hope to be like him when I reach that age. ”

Today Dev spends most of his time in his office in central Delhi, with a staff of 20, doing his job of installing and maintaining spotlights at many sports fields across the country. “I tell myself that life is beautiful, even when you can’t do things you loved so much. I live in the moment. When I was fit, I played to the best of my ability in my time. I took up challenges, set goals and benchmarks, and enjoyed cricket. Those were unforgettable years but I couldn’t have held them all my life. I had to go on. ”

The cast of 83 with Kapil Dev and Krishnamachari Srikkanth in Chennai

The 1983 triumph when India won the World Cup sparked a cricket revolution. Not only did it change the face of the game in India, but also the way cricket was played, making it attractive for small-town players across the country to come forward and aspire to play for India. 83, the film based on India’s epic victory was due to hit the big screen this year, but was delayed due to the pandemic. Dev is very excited to see Ranveer Singh play him on screen. “We contributed to the film with invaluable input from every member of the team,” he says. “We expect it to hit screens in 2021”.

Today he enjoys the game with the same intensity as a spectator. See the energy and drive the young players are bringing to the sport. He loves the T20 cricket brand, first introduced in 2003 by the England and Wales Cricket Board. “It is extremely challenging. The task of 20 runs from the last over can also be achieved by a batman n. 7 or n. 8. Most of the time you’re bound to get those rides. The Indian Premier League (IPL) has changed the mindset of the players. They are so aggressive and eager to win. In the process, fielding standards have reached astounding limits, “he says.” The quality of fielding since I joined the Indian team [in 1978] it has improved thousands of times. I’m not exaggerating, many of that team in 1979 and 1980 wouldn’t have been able to throw the ball from the border like they do today. ”

The fielding theme reminds them of the time they were on tour in Australia in 1985-86. “The straight border in Adelaide tests your speed and the strength of the throwing arm. It happened like this, one of our defenders had to give a long chase and was deeply embarrassed to see the batters turning to take the fifth heat. He wisely kicked the ball to concede a boundary and saved a run. This will not happen in today’s times. You can no longer hide a clumsy defender. ”

Dev thinks he would have liked to play T20 cricket, but says there isn’t much room for experimentation for a T20 captain. “The captain can be different for different individuals. In this IPL, you look at Shreyas Iyer, MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma … I didn’t see much difference in their approach. To me the model looked similar. I would have liked to have been captain, though, because it’s an exciting task. ”

Kapil Dev lifts the trophy as Man of the Match Mohinder Armanath looks on after winning the 1983 World Cup final against the West Indies at Lords on June 25, 1983 in London, England (GET IMAGES)

After all, he remains a sportsman par excellence. He has been good at most sports from a young age: football, golf, cricket, table tennis, swimming, tennis, billiards, squash, badminton, among others. “They kept me fit, focused, and most importantly, constantly engaged in meaningful exercise. I even enjoyed flying kites, ”he laughs.

What worries him today, however, is this culture of hero worship. Emphasize the importance of a “winning team” over “individual brilliance”. “Why do we want to know what Virat Kohli did when the team lost? For me, what matters is that India has lost. I find it difficult to accept this aspect in search of individual heroes and not of team excellence, “he says.

He also doesn’t like the fact that an air of negativity is constantly spreading today and he feels we have to look at how things have improved. “I am amazed at the way some people have opinions on every issue under the sky on TV. I am not an open economy expert. It makes sense for me to participate in a debate involving the country’s economic status, “he says.” Things have changed. We have some of the best cities, transportation and infrastructure. Middle-class people can fly easily now. Look at the sports stadiums … we have some of the best stadiums in the world. We have champions like PV Sindhu, Saina Nehwal, Sania Mirza, Mary Kom. We have learned to respect our artists … Once upon a time we would have held a weekly 30 minute sports show on Doordarshan. The champions longed for recognition. Now they are always so visible. Twenty years ago, mostly cricketers would have gotten accolades. I am so happy to see kabaddi players getting accolades today. Prakash Padukone was the biggest diamond in Indian sport, but did he get the recognition he deserved? I would say the same for Dhyan Chand, Balbir Singh (Sr), Geet Sethi, Michael Ferreira … they never got the recognition they deserved. ”

Dev’s reasons for getting angry are perhaps understandable. His was a time when sport wasn’t as glamorous as it is today. The sport would barely attract investment and most players would have to take care of their health and diet on foreign tours.

“We couldn’t order a cup of tea at the hotel because that would take away most of the daily allowance,” he says. “I would feel so sad when a colleague has to skip dinner. It would be heartbreaking since many of our teammates would explore budget restaurants, though Try the cricketers. Thank God this has all changed now. ” Indeed.