A Brave Athlete
11th of February 1981, the final day of the 3rd Test Match between India and Australia at Melbourne, is an important day in the history of Indian Cricket and though this particular Test Match had good performances from both sides and a raging controversy (not required to be discussed here), the heroic performance from India’s spearhead Kapil Dev, leading to a 59 run victory for India, overshadowed everything else.
India had lost the First Test and had managed to draw the Second. The Third Test therefore was of critical importance and if India needed to salvage something out of the series, a victory at Melbourne was a must.
As the match unfolded, there were stellar performances from both Teams. Gundappa Vishwanath and Allan Border scoring centuries, with good knocks from Sunil Gavaskar and Chetan Chauhan and some inspired bowling too from Karsar Ghavri. However in the midst of all this, Kapil Dev suffered a hamstring injury (tear or strain of the muscles at the back of a thigh) He bowled only 19 overs in the first innings and it appeared that it would be difficult for him to take the field on the last day.
Australia were required to score 143 to win the match. Though the pitch was not easy to bat , the target was well within the grasp of a strong Australian team led by Greg Chappel and comprising of Allan Border, Kim Hughes And Graeme Wood. India did well in the closing stages of the 4th day with Karsan Ghavri taking two wickets in two balls and Australia were three wickets down, when they took the field on the last day.
Kapil, in huge pain and risking a major injury and a bowling career, came on the field. India wanted him badly. For the test to be won Kapil had to bowl his heart out and he did not disappoint to the call of his country. Enduring pain, Kapil produced a performance of a life time and ripped through Australia’s batting, accounting for Allan Border, Bruce Yardley, Rodney Marsh, Dennis Lilley and Jim Higgs and returned figures of 5-28 as Australia were bowled out for 83. In spite of the injury, Kapil, a remarkable athlete was able to push his body and bowled magnificently.
Kapil has been my very first sporting idol. Apart from his unquestionable skills as a cricketer, he had a huge heart, was tough to the core, and had a spirit which rarely wavered. He played for his country with great pride, passion, courage and flair and that’s precisely why he is a sporting idol of millions of sports lovers across the globe.
This short story is the 1st in the series of 5 aptly named “Kapil Dev: A Sportsman Beyond Excellence “, which I intend to dedicate to the great man of Indian Cricket .
Rest of the four shall follow soon… keep reading.