Kapil Dev was one of the greatest fast bowlers in India till now, and his contribution to Indian cricket is very high which can be seen in the 1983 World Cup. He even has a nickname “Haryana Hurricane.” He played in multiple matches and he is also one of the best All-rounders around the world till now. Apart from all this, there is a biographical drama film written on Kapil Dev’s journey which is named as “83”. It is based on his journey to winning the first Cricket World Cup. This movie starred Ranveer Singh and was produced by his wife, Deepika Padukone. It was a blockbuster movie. Here is the complete journey of him including Kapil Dev Jersey Number age, biography, wife, achievements, and his controversies.
Who is Kapil Dev?
Kapil Dev’s full name is “Kapil Dev Ramlal Nikunj”, and he is one of the Indian former cricketers and also a former captain of the Indian cricket team. His contribution is very remarkable in the history of cricket. He is one of the best all-rounders in the whole history of cricket. He was also recognised as first medium bowler and a “hard hitting middle batsman”. Kapil Dev has a historical record of cricket in which he has taken more than 434 wickets. Apart from that, he has scored more than 5,000 runs in Test cricket series.
Kapil Dev Biography
Kapil Dev was the first Indian captain to win the Cricket World Cup, and he was the youngest captain at that time, he was only 24 years old during the 1983 World Cup. He retired in 1994 and also, he was the first player to take 200 ODI wickets, which made him set a world record in the country for the highest number of wickets in Test cricket Series. Kapil Dev has also been awarded with multiple awards, such as the Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan awards, which are the highest Indian sports awards in India. Apart from that, he is one of the most highly honored players by the BCCI. There is also a biographical movie on Kapil Dev named “83”, which was performed by Ranveer Singh and produced by Deepika Padukone.
| Attribute | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Kapil Dev Ramlal Nikunj |
| Nickname | Haryana Hurricane |
| Date of Birth | January 6, 1959 |
| Birthplace | Chandigarh, India |
| Age | 66 years (as of 2025) |
| Education | DAV School, Haryana |
| Mentor | Desh Prem Azad |
| Jersey Number | 83 |
| Father’s Name | Ramlal Nikunj |
| Mother’s Name | Rajkumari |
| Wife | Romi Bhatia |
| Daughter | Amiya Dev |
| Net Worth | ₹12-15 crores |
Kapil Dev’s Age
Kapil Dev was born on 6th January 1959 in Chandigarh, India, which makes him 66 years old as of 2025.
Kapil Dev’s Early Life and Family
Kapil Dev was born Chandigarh, India. He is the sixth child of his father, Ramlal Nikunj and mother, Rajkumari. He originally belongs to the present day Pakistani region, Rawalpindi. His family migrated to India during the time of Partition. From a young age, he has had an interest in playing cricket. Kapil Dev completed his schooling from Haryana at DAV School. He was later mentored by “Coach Desh Prem Azad”, who helped him build his career in cricket completely.
Kapil Dev’s Jersey Number
During the 1983 World Cup, the Indian cricket team did not have jersey numbers. If the system had been introduced at that time, it is more likely that Kapil Dev would have chosen the number 6, because he was born on January 6.
Kapil Dev Career Stats
| Category | Stats |
|---|---|
| Total Matches | 131 |
| Total Runs | 12,867 |
| Best Batting | 173* (ODI) |
| Total Wickets | 434 |
| Best Bowling | 9/83 |
| Strike Rate | 63.9 |
| Economy Rate | 2.78 |
| Overs Bowled | 4623.2 |
| 5 Wickets in an Innings | 23 |
| 10 Wickets in a Match | 2 |
| Fielding | 2 catches (Test), 15 (ODI) |
| All-Rounder Performance | 175 runs, 9 wickets in an innings (ODI) |
Kapil Dev Career of Journey
Kapil Dev’s career journey is interesting and challenging. Here is a complete description of his career which is divided into three parts: Domestic Career Journey, International Career Journey, and Coaching Career Journey.
Domestic Career
Kapil Dev started his career journey by playing for Haryana team domestically in the “Ranji Trophy during the period of 1975-76”. This was the first time he played cricket professionally. Here he got recognition for his all-round abilities. He took 6 wickets in his first match against Punjab. His aggressive and different batting and bowling styles helped him gain attention among fans and judges.
After the Ranji Trophy, He played more cricket matches such as the 1991 Ranji Trophy final, because of him Team Haryana won against Bombay team. Kapil Dev scored a half century which is 50 runs and he took 5 wickets in the two innings.
International Career
Kapil Dev made his international debut on October 16, 1978 in an ODI match against Pakistan. This was the beginning of an international career in his cricket life. He has also received a Test cap during his debut series against Pakistan in Faisalabad in the year 1978.
1979-1980 All-Rounder
During this period, Kapil Dev played for the first time internationally at Australia tour, where his impressive batting and bowling styles helped him gain more fame and name this even helped him to get into the Indian national Cricket team.
1983 Cricket World Cup
This was the complete game changing period for Kapil Dev’s international cricket career. He played a major key role in India’s victory during the 1983 World Cup. He scored “175” against Zimbabwe when the Indian team was under pressure. Kapil Dev’s Captaincy helped India to win their first World Cup trophy. They even defeated the two time champions West Indies team in the finals. His innings of 175 is still the record in Cricket World Cup history.
Post World Cup Career
After winning the World Cup 1983, Kapil Dev continued to play cricket, He even passed the 5,000 Test runs and took 434 wickets which is a world record. He broke the record of the cricketer Richard Hadlee.
Kapil Dev Coaching Career Journey
Kapil Dev retired in 1994. After retiring, still involved in cricket, he even started coaching. He coached the Indian team in 1999, along with Anshuman Gaekwad. During his time, India achieved multiple victories, such as the winning of the 1999 Test series and an ODI series against South Africa.
Despite facing several challenges, such as losing a Test series to Australia with a score (3-0) and controversies, resignation and allegations of match-fixing, Kapil Dev still stood strong and chose to continue to contribute towards Indian cricket. He coached the team till 2000 and played an important role in helping players develop batting and bowling styles.
Kapil Dev’s Wife & Daughter
Kapil Dev married to Romi Bhatia in the year 1980. She is a Business Lady. Their love story started during a train journey where he met her due to a common friend Sunil Bhatia. Their love story is also mentioned in his Hindi biographic movie “83”. They even have a daughter together, who was born in 1996 her name is “Amiya Dev”.
Kapil Dev Awards and Achievements
Kapil Dev has won multiple awards, which are mentioned below:
| Year | Award |
|---|---|
| 1980 | Arjuna Award |
| 1982 | Padma Shri |
| 1991 | Padma Bhushan |
| 1983 | Wisden Cricketer of the Year |
| 2002 | Wisden Indian Cricketer of the Century |
| 2010 | ICC Cricket Hall of Fame |
| 2013 | CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award |
| 2019 | Bharat Gaurav Award |
Kapil Dev’s Net Worth
Kapil Dev Ramlal Nikunj is one of the former cricketers in India who helped India to get its first Cricket World Cup Trophy. He earns through various sources like royalties, coaching, commentaries, collaborations and many more. As per the reports his net worth is approximately between ₹220-260 crores. He earns around ₹12-15 crores per year.
Conclusion
Kapil Dev Ramlal Nikunj is a legend when it comes to Indian cricket history. He has earned multiple awards and recognitions such as Arjuna Award, Padma Shri, TV recognitions as guests in various shows and many more. His contributions to Indian cricket are completely unmatched till date. He is the first Captain who brought India’s first World Cup Cricket trophy in 1983. His journey is filled with inspiration for all cricket fans. He even has a world record of highest score in the world cup which is 173. He even faced several challenges and allegations apart from that he is still everyone’s favourite Indian cricketer. His journey is so inspiring that he even has a biography film on his life named “83”, in which Ranveer Singh played his character and it was a superhit movie.
FAQs
What is the highest score of Kapil Dev in the World Cup?
173.
What is the Nickname of Kapil Dev?
His one of the most famous nicknames is “Haryana Hurricane”.
What was the match fixing controversy with Kapil Dev?
There was a very famous controversy that Dev offered a bribe to Prabhankar to not play well against Pakistan during the 1964 Singer Cup.
Kapil Dev is mostly famous for?
He is famous for Unique Bowling Style.
What are the famous autobiographies of Kapil Dev?
Cricket My Style, God’s Own Style, and Straight from the Heart.
Which bat is used by Kapil Dev?
He used a Slazenger bat instead of a mongoose bat.
