Key facts
- Known for: Former cricketer; golf administrator
- Born: 6 Jan 1959, Chandigarh
- Age: 67 years (as of 10 Nov 2026)
- Spouse: Romi Bhatia (m. 1980)
Growing up in Chandigarh
Kapil Dev Ramlal Nikhanj was born on 6 Jan 1959 in Chandigarh. His father, Ram Lal Nikhanj, was a teak merchant born in Montgomery (now Sahiwal), and his mother, Raj Kumari, grew up in Okara; both families came from what is now Pakistan's Punjab and moved after Partition. He grew up playing in the open grounds of a city that was still being built.
He studied at DAV School and then DAV College in Chandigarh, and was sent to the coach Desh Prem Azad, who would remain his mentor for years. Even as a teenager he was tall, strong and fast, which made him unusual in Indian cricket. India in the 1970s won with spin. Fast bowlers were there mostly to take the shine off the new ball.
First-class debut and the Test call-up
Kapil made his first-class debut for Haryana against Punjab in November 1975 and took six wickets. He soon became the heart of the Haryana side, which he'd later lead to its first Ranji Trophy title in 1990–91.
His Test debut came on 16 Oct 1978 against Pakistan in Faisalabad. He didn't take many wickets, but his pace surprised batsmen who'd expected India's usual medium-paced openers. Within a year he had a Test hundred against West Indies in Delhi and had become India's leading new-ball bowler.
Career milestones
- 1975
First-class debut for Haryana
- 1978
Test debut in Faisalabad
- 1983
175* vs Zimbabwe; wins World Cup at Lord's
- 1991
Leads Haryana to Ranji title; Padma Bhushan
- 1994
Passes Hadlee's world record; retires
- 1999
India coach for a year
- 2024
President of PGTI
India's first great all-rounder
Through the late 1970s and 1980s Kapil was the most important player in the Indian side. He swung the ball both ways, bowled long spells on flat pitches and batted like a hitter in a team of grinders. In 1979–80, aged 21, he reached the Test double of 1,000 runs and 100 wickets, then the youngest player to do it. He was part of the great all-rounder generation with Ian Botham, Imran Khan and Richard Hadlee, and was the only one of the four who played on Indian pitches for a home crowd that rarely saw fast bowling.
1983: the World Cup
Kapil was made captain for the 1982–83 tour of the West Indies and led India into the 1983 World Cup in England as rank outsiders. On 18 June, against Zimbabwe at Tunbridge Wells, India were 17 for 5. Kapil walked in and made 175 not out from 138 balls, then the highest individual score in one-day internationals. The BBC was on strike that day, so the innings was never televised; it's still one of cricket's most famous lost recordings.
India went on to the final at Lord's on 25 Jun 1983 against West Indies, the two-time champions. India made only 183. In reply, Kapil ran back from midwicket to take a catch off Viv Richards, which many players later called the turning point. West Indies were bowled out for 140 and India won by 43 runs. At 24, Kapil became the youngest captain to win a World Cup, and Indian cricket changed for good.
The later career and the world record
He lost the captaincy in 1984, regained it and lost it again; his record as Test captain was never as good as the World Cup suggested. But as a bowler he kept going. In 1990 at Lord's he hit four consecutive sixes off Eddie Hemmings to save the follow-on, the kind of moment that defined him.
On 8 Feb 1994, in Ahmedabad, he dismissed Sri Lanka's Hashan Tillakaratne to take his 432nd Test wicket and pass Richard Hadlee as the leading wicket-taker in Test history. He retired later that year with 434 Test wickets and stayed the world record holder until Courtney Walsh passed him in 2000.
| Format | Matches | Runs | Highest | Wickets | Best bowling |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tests (1978–1994) | 131 | 5,248 | 163 | 434 | 9/83 |
| ODIs (1978–1994) | 225 | 3,783 | 175* | 253 | 5/43 |
His 9 for 83 against West Indies in Ahmedabad in 1983 remains one of the best innings figures by an Indian.
Haryana's Ranji Trophy title
Kapil never stopped playing domestic cricket for Haryana, and in 1990–91 he led them to their first Ranji Trophy title. The final against Bombay was one of the best in the tournament's history. Haryana made 522 in the first innings, and Kapil took three wickets as Bombay replied with 410. His 41 in the second innings helped set a target of 355. Dilip Vengsarkar made 139 and a teenage Sachin Tendulkar 96, but Haryana took the last six wickets for 102 runs and won by two runs.
How he played
Kapil's bowling was built on a high, leaping action and natural outswing to right-handers, to which he later added an inswinger and a sharp bouncer. He bowled long spells in Indian heat on pitches that offered fast bowlers almost nothing, which is why his strike rate looks modest next to bowlers from England or the West Indies. As a batsman he was a clean striker of the ball who liked to hit over the top, often at No. 6 or 7, and could change a match in an hour. He was also an athletic fielder, as the Richards catch showed.
Coach of India and the match-fixing storm
Kapil coached the Indian team from September 1999 to September 2000. It wasn't a happy time. India lost heavily in Australia, and in 2000 the former India all-rounder Manoj Prabhakar accused him of offering a bribe to underperform in a 1994 match. Kapil broke down in tears in a television interview and resigned. The Central Bureau of Investigation report later that year cleared him.
Life after cricket
In 2007 he chaired the Indian Cricket League, a rebel Twenty20 league, which led the BCCI to revoke his pension and remove him as chairman of the National Cricket Academy; he left the ICL in 2012 and the board made its peace with him. In 2008 he became an honorary Lieutenant Colonel in the Territorial Army. In 2019 he was named the first chancellor of the Sports University of Haryana, and he also chaired the BCCI's Cricket Advisory Committee that appointed the India coach.
Golf became his second sport. He has been president of the Professional Golf Tour of India since June 2024, and in early 2026 the PGTI signed DP World as title sponsor. He's also involved with a hospital in Greater Noida West and gives frequent interviews about sport and fitness.
Health
On 23 Oct 2020 he had a heart attack and underwent emergency coronary angioplasty at Fortis Escorts hospital in Delhi. He recovered quickly and was back playing golf within weeks.
Family
He married Romi Bhatia in 1980. Their daughter, Amiya Dev, was born on 16 Jan 1996, and she worked as an assistant director on 83. He doesn't have a son, though "Kapil Dev son" is a common search.
Books and the film 83
He has written several books: By God's Decree (1985), Cricket My Style (1987), the autobiography Straight from the Heart (2004) and We, The Sikhs (2019), a book about Sikh history and culture.
Kabir Khan's film 83, released on 24 Dec 2021, retold the World Cup campaign. Ranveer Singh played Kapil and Deepika Padukone played Romi. Kapil had earlier made a cameo as himself in Nagesh Kukunoor's Iqbal (2005).
Awards and honours
Kapil received the Arjuna Award in 1979–80, the Padma Shri in 1982 and the Padma Bhushan in 1991. Wisden named him one of its Cricketers of the Year in 1983 and its Indian Cricketer of the Century in 2002. He was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame and received the BCCI's C. K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013.
| Year | Honour |
|---|---|
| 1979–80 | Arjuna Award |
| 1982 | Padma Shri |
| 1983 | Wisden Cricketer of the Year |
| 1991 | Padma Bhushan |
| 2002 | Wisden Indian Cricketer of the Century |
| 2008 | Honorary Lieutenant Colonel, Territorial Army |
| 2013 | C. K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award |
Recent comments
Kapil is still one of Indian cricket's most quoted voices. In October 2026 he said Virat Kohli still looked good enough to reconsider his retirement from Test cricket. The same month he urged children to play several sports rather than specialise early, arguing that "every sport can help you."
Legacy
Before 1983 India was a minor one-day side. Kapil's team won the World Cup, filled stadiums and started the TV and money boom that made the country cricket's commercial centre. The generation that grew up watching it included Sachin Tendulkar, who has often said 1983 made him want to play for India. When MS Dhoni's side won the 2011 World Cup, the comparison everyone reached for was Kapil's.
He also proved India could produce a genuine fast-bowling all-rounder, a type the country still struggles to find. Every seam-bowling all-rounder since, from Manoj Prabhakar to Hardik Pandya, has been measured against him. More than four decades after Lord's, Kapil Dev is still the first name in any conversation about India's greatest cricketers, and the man who made Indians believe they could beat anyone.
Frequently asked questions
How old is Kapil Dev?
Kapil Dev was born on 6 Jan 1959, so he is 67 years old as of November 2026.
Who is Kapil Dev's wife?
Romi Bhatia. They married in 1980. In the film 83 she was played by Deepika Padukone.
Does Kapil Dev have a son?
No. Kapil Dev and Romi have one daughter, Amiya Dev, born on 16 Jan 1996.
What are Kapil Dev's career stats?
In 131 Tests he scored 5,248 runs and took 434 wickets. In 225 ODIs he made 3,783 runs and took 253 wickets, with a best score of 175 not out.
When did India win the World Cup under Kapil Dev?
On 25 Jun 1983 at Lord's, beating West Indies by 43 runs. Kapil was 24, the youngest captain to win a World Cup.
What is Kapil Dev doing now?
He has been president of the Professional Golf Tour of India since June 2024 and is a frequent commentator on Indian sport.
Sources
- ESPNcricinfo: Kapil Dev profile and career statistics
- Mint: Kapil Dev urges youngsters to take up multiple sports, Oct 2026
- NDTV Sports: Kapil Dev on Virat Kohli's Test retirement, Oct 2026
- The Indian Express: Kapil Dev interview on PGTI and golf
- Wikipedia: Kapil Dev (cross-checked career, honours and family)
