Ian Botham vs Kapil Dev

[smash84]

but yes, 1977-87 is a pretty good case for Botham to be better than Kapil. Although how much weight would you give to performance against the WI during that time?

 

[Teja.]

Kapil was an amazing workhorse imo, in today's game he'd be breaking records all over the place

IIRC, Kapil and Border were the fittest cricketers of their time. I think I read on cricinfo that he played every test match that India played in his career apart from one. That over 131 tests and 16 years is incredible considering the strains that a fast bowling all-rounder is put through which certainly took it's toll on his contemporaries such as Imran and Botham.

Just found it

Kapil Dev - 66 consecutive tests between 16 Oct 1978 and 12 Dec 1984 and then 65 consecutive tests between 13 jan 1985 and 19 march 1994

One test match over 16 years is iron man stuff.

 

[NasserFan207]

IIRC, Kapil and Border were the fittest cricketers of their time. I think I read on cricinfo that he played every test match that India played in his career apart from one. That over 131 tests and 16 years is incredible considering the strains that a fast bowling all-rounder is put through which certainly took it's toll on his contemporaries such as Imran and Botham.

Just found it

Kapil Dev - 66 consecutive tests between 16 Oct 1978 and 12 Dec 1984 and then 65 consecutive tests between 13 jan 1985 and 19 march 1994

One test match over 16 years is iron man stuff.

Yeah, thats just ****ing nuts

You have to imagine there'd have been plenty of games where he'd have had niggles etc, but just fought on through it. I guess he just really, really loved playing cricket, only explanation for an allrounder playing so much on the bounce

 

[G.I.Joe]

Kapil missed that one game because he was dropped for disciplinary reasons, IIRC.

 

[smash84]

Yeah, thats just ****ing nuts

You have to imagine there'd have been plenty of games where he'd have had niggles etc, but just fought on through it. I guess he just really, really loved playing cricket, only explanation for an allrounder playing so much on the bounce

haha....yeah.......remembering reading that one that Kapil just missed one of India's tests throughout his career. Was incredibly fit throughout his career. I don't know what has happened to India's fast bowlers fitness levels after him. Seem completely opposite to his.

Was definitely the fittest of Imran, Hadlee, Botham, and himself (Although looked the least fit itbt)

 

[Furball]

Kapil missed that one game because he was dropped for disciplinary reasons, IIRC.

Shouldn't the word "disciplinary" be in inverted commas in your post?

 

[fredfertang]

Which means Kapil had nothing on Sir Beefy when it came to number of Tests missed for disciplinary reasons - another example of his allround superiority

 

[G.I.Joe]

Shouldn't the word "disciplinary" be in inverted commas in your post?

Haha, yeah, it should. IIRC, Gavaskar had something to do with it.

EDIT: Googled it:

Kapil would have been one of the few cricketers who would have achieved the distinction of playing 100 test matches continuously had he not been dropped from the team. This happened after the second test match in Delhi. Kapil top scored in the first inns after things were extremely shaky for the Indians, but it was his second inns dismissal that put his head on the block.

He came into bat in the second inns when once again the Innings was in tatters. He smashed the first ball for six and tried to repeat the dose off the very next ball but was out bowled. India lost the test match and Kapil was held responsible for the defeat and he lost his place in the side for the next test match in Calcutta.

Kapil had this to say about the whole affair in his autobiography:

"Disciplinary reasons" the selectors stated tersely. Little did they know of the discipline required to come back after a knee operation and the torture one has to put the mind and body through. The endless pain barriers one crosses. Bureaucrats in padded chairs only know the pain of piles. They wanted a scapegoat and it was me. I was furious. I thought of giving it away. I had spent the last five years giving Indian cricket everything I had and then some more. I fought when we looked like losing.

Love this line: Bureaucrats in padded chairs only know the pain of piles.

 

[Sanz]

IIRC, Kapil and Border were the fittest cricketers of their time. I think I read on cricinfo that he played every test match that India played in his career apart from one. That over 131 tests and 16 years is incredible considering the strains that a fast bowling all-rounder is put through which certainly took it's toll on his contemporaries such as Imran and Botham.

Just found it

Kapil Dev - 66 consecutive tests between 16 Oct 1978 and 12 Dec 1984 and then 65 consecutive tests between 13 jan 1985 and 19 march 1994

One test match over 16 years is iron man stuff.

Kapil was dropped from the Eden Gardens Test against England in 1984/85 apparently for playing a poor/irresponsible shot and getting out in the previous test. The guy who replaced him in that test was Md. Azharuddin, who made his debut @ Edens and scored a 100. There were rallies in Calcutta in support of Kapil, people came to the test match with banners like "No Kapil No Test". Gavaskar lost a lot of his fans on that day.

 

[Sanz]

Haha, yeah, it should. IIRC, Gavaskar had something to do with it.

EDIT: Googled it:



Love this line: Bureaucrats in padded chairs only know the pain of piles.

Haha.

Wisden - INDIA v ENGLAND 1984-85

 

[Furball]

Haha, yeah, it should. IIRC, Gavaskar had something to do with it.

EDIT: Googled it:



Love this line: Bureaucrats in padded chairs only know the pain of piles.

Who else other than Border has achieved that feat?

 

[G.I.Joe]

Who else other than Border has achieved that feat?

Of those that have played at least 50 Tests, in addition to Border, Gilchrist (96), AB DeVilliers (68*), Hussey (65*), McCullum (59*), John Reid (58) and Tony Greig (58) have played all the Tests their country has played over their career.

 

[Furball]

Of those that have played at least 50 Tests, in addition to Border, Gilchrist (96), AB DeVilliers (68*), Hussey (65*), McCullum (59*), John Reid (58) and Tony Greig (58) have played all the Tests their country has played over their career.

So Border's the only one to have played 100+ consecutively?

 

[Teja.]

So Border's the only one to have played 100+ consecutively?

Nah, Waugh(107) and Gavaskar(106) too.

Dravid's on 93 aws.

 

[Jono]

Which means Kapil had nothing on Sir Beefy when it came to number of Tests missed for disciplinary reasons - another example of his allround superiority

Laughed very hard at this.

 

[Shri]

I don't know what has happened to India's fast bowlers fitness levels after him. Seem completely opposite to his.

Srinath didn't miss too many tests either iirc. Khan is only an exception to the rule and Ishant doesn't count because lets face it, he look like a punk who smokes weed in a cave all the time.

 

[G.I.Joe]

So Border's the only one to have played 100+ consecutively?

I thought you'd meant playing out the entire career in one go.

 

[karan316]

Kapil has the record for most innings without a runout in test cricket, 184 innings without ever being run out!!!
He was never runout in his test career...

 

[smash84]

who has the most runouts? (Inzy and Wasim Akram are probably pretty high on the list. MoYo too I would think)

 

[Howe_zat]

Ponting has the most by a distance.