Indian cricket’s long and enthralling story of its evolution is incomplete without the mention of the former India captain Kapil Dev. The great all-rounder was a generational player who contributed with both his batting and bowling skills. In this article, we will take a look at his top 3 batting performances in test cricket.
163 vs Sri Lanka, 1986
Kapil Dev delivered his best batting performance in his test career against Sri Lanka at Kanpur. In the first test of the series Sri Lanka batted really well to put 420 runs on the board in the first innings. In reply, Sunil Gavaskar and Mohammad Azharuddin smashed giant centuries which were complimented in the lower middle order by the Indian captain. Kapil scored 163 runs to put India in an unbeatable position and finally, the match ended in a draw with India putting 676 runs on the board.
129 vs South Africa, 1992
Team India toured South Africa for the first time after their readmission and in the 3rd test of the series the world witnessed what Kapil Dev was known for, an undying spirit. In the second innings, while trying to overcome the lead South Africa had got, India lost 7 wickets for just 88 runs. When Kapil walked into bat India was 5/27 but the veteran all-rounder single handedly kept South Africa at bay from wrapping up the Indian innings. He scored 129 runs and led India to 215 runs in the second innings without much support from the other end.
126* vs West Indies, 1979
Another knock defined by grit and flair by Kapil Dev, against West Indies in Delhi. Sunil Gavaskar won the toss for India and opted to bat first. At the top Gavaskar and Vengsarkar gave India a solid start as both the batters scored centuries. This momentum was carried on by Kapil Dev in the middle order as he smashed an unbeaten 126 runs off just 124 runs to give India enough runs on the board.