Kapil Dev interview: On Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and India’s obsession with cricket

Kapil Dev throws a speedy glimpse astatine the bat and shot placed astatine the entranceway of the Madras Management Association’s auditorium. They are a photograph prop — for the members attending the motorboat of fashionable banker Shyam Srinivasan’s latest book, Better Never Stops, a part-memoir, part-practical enactment primer published by WYZR Books (Rs 495).

If not for the teeming autograph hunters and selfie seekers, Kapil mightiness person been tempted to vessel a mates of yorkers oregon smash a fewer sixes.

The 67-year-old lanky cricketing fable has seen the highest of highs successful the sport; the 1983 World Cup triumph being the peak. He is presently associated with different athletics — play — which helium plays passionately.

Deep down, Kapil remains the lad who erstwhile loved hitting the grounds of Chandigarh with a bat and shot successful hand.

“People similar us... we cognize lone thing: however to play. If we had it our way, we would beryllium playing immoderate benignant of athletics from puerility till death,” helium says, “When we are born, our parents springiness america a bat and shot to play something, but erstwhile we crook six oregon seven, they instrumentality it backmost and regenerate it with a pencil to ore connected education.”

A immense cheerleader for sporting activities, Kapil is peeved astir India’s obsession with cricket. “I’m saying this contempt being a cricketer myself and afloat knowing the emotion and affection it fetched me,” helium smiles, “As a nation, we springiness 99% to cricket. It’s unfair. Other sports should besides get recognition...only past volition the federation grow.”

The amusement goes on

Kapil is simply a contented sportsman today, adjacent arsenic helium speaks words of information astatine firm events and sporting functions. When helium is not travelling oregon playing golf, helium enjoys watching movies.

“I grew up watching Amitabh Bachchan saab’s films and styling myself connected his looks successful the films,” recalls Kapil. Today, acknowledgment to exertion and the advent of OTT platforms, Kapil likes catching up connected the dubbed versions of South Indian superhits too. “Baahubali was great, and I emotion watching Allu Arjun’s films too,” says Kapil, mimicking the trademark Pushpa beard-stroke swagger, “They marque immoderate radical larger than life, but that’s however cinema works successful this portion of the world.”

Cricket, however, is ne'er wholly retired of his strategy — contempt his ain admittance that helium watches lone “5% of the matches today”. Like astir followers of IPL 2026, Kapil excessively is afloat of praise for young sensation, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. “At the moment, helium is simply a peculiar talent, without doubt. But we person to springiness him time. He is precise young and does not cognize thing different than cricket. Once helium gets to cognize much astir life, things mightiness beryllium different.”

Blast from the past

Kapil tin beryllium credited for the obsession India has with cricket today. Leading India, the historical World Cup triumph successful 1983 is considered the top triumph of the underdog that cricket has ever seen, heralding a young procreation of Indian cricket players and enthusiasts. Apart from instilling aforesaid content successful the team, Kapil’s important batting sound erstwhile they were connected the verge of elimination (175 against Zimbabwe) and iconic drawback (to disregard Viv Richards successful the final) remains the item of his glittering career.

So, what was helium telling himself erstwhile the chips were down? “It’s a communicative different radical volition archer amended than me,” helium says, “When you are successful it, you don’t retrieve it arsenic vividly arsenic radical watching it. It was my day, and I’m blessed that I won the tourney for India.”

Is determination a beingness acquisition helium has for people? “Never ever springiness up. The infinitesimal you springiness up, you are dead.”