Kapil Dev considers himself as 'better athlete' than ex-Pak captain Imran Khan

Former India captain Kapil Dev is one of the greatest all-rounders the cricketing world has witnessed. Since Kapil Dev's retirement, India hasn't produced another all-rounder like him despite the promise that the likes of Ravi Shastri and Irfan Pathan gave during their careers. Kapil Dev also guided India to it's first-ever World Cup title in 1983 as they beat defending champions West Indies in the final. There is no denying that Kapil Dev was among the top all-rounders during his time.

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Kapil Dev calls him a better athlete than Ian Botham, Richard Hadlee and Imran Khan combined

Kapil Dev played in an era when the likes of England's Ian Botham, New Zealand's Richard Hadlee and former Pakistan captain Imran Khan were at their absolute best. All three were proven match-winners for their respective teams and are till date considered as the best all-rounders the game has ever seen. Recently, Kapil Dev was asked to compare himself with Ian Botham, Richard Hadlee and Imran Khan and the 1983 World Cup-winning captain surprised everyone with his answer.

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While speaking to former India cricketer and current women’s team head coach WV Raman on the Inside Out podcast, Kapil Dev said that he wouldn’t say he was the greatest, but he was a better athlete than all three put together. However, he lauded Richard Hadlee, Ian Botham and Imran Khan for their brilliant skills during their playing days.

Kapil Dev further said that when Richard Hadlee started out, he looked like an ordinary bowler. However, he reckoned that later, Hadlee became a very hardworking fast bowler as he learnt the tricks of the trade all by himself and eventually worked on his batting as well. Kapil Dev heaped praise galore on Ian Botham saying that he was a true all-rounder and in given conditions, he could win a match on his own.

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Kapil Dev also said that Botham could do equal damage to the opposition both with bat and ball. Speaking about Imran Khan, Kapil Dev stated that the former Pakistan captain had the ability to run through the opposition team. However, he pointed out that Imran Khan's ability as a leader was far better because controlling the Pakistan team was a challenge.

Kapil Dev stats

The Kapil Dev stats are astonishing for an all-rounder to say the least. Kapil Dev represented India in 131 Tests and 225 ODIs where he scored 5248 and 3783 runs respectively. Kapil Dev stats also include the 434 and 253 wickets he bagged in Tests and ODIs.

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 IMAGE COURTESY: KAPIL DEV TWITTER/AP