Kapil Dev, the legendary World Cup-winning India captain, signalled to his well-wishers that he was on the road to recovery following a heart scare on Saturday. The 61-year-old underwent successful emergency coronary angioplasty on Friday after complaining of heart pains, and following the procedure he posted a picture of himself flashing a double thumbs-up sign from his hospital bed.
In the photo, 61-year-old Kapil’s daughter Amiya is also seen sitting on a chair beside his hospital bed at Fortis-Escorts Heart Institute in New Delhi smiling. The hospital said the all-rounder would be discharged in a couple of days.
The ‘Haryana Hurricane’, as Kapil is often called, himself tweeted late on Friday night to express his gratitude to his fans and friends. “Thank you all for all the love and concern. I am overwhelmed with the good wishes and well on the road to recovery,” he wrote.
West Indian fast-bowling great Courtney Walsh, who broke Kapil’s Test record of 434 wickets in March 2000, reacted to the Indian legend’s tweet. “All the best master Dev. Speedy recovery champ,” wrote Walsh.
Kapil messaged his fellow 1983 World Cup-winning team members on Whatsapp to reassure them he was OK. “Hi everyone. I’m in good spirits and doing well,” he wrote on WhatsApp. “On the way to a speedy recovery. Can’t wait to return to my golf game. You guys are my family. Thank you.”
Kapil was admitted to the Fortis at around 1am on Friday, and Dr Atul Mathur, Director of Cardiology Department successfully performed an emergency coronary angioplasty — a procedure to restore blood flow through the artery.
Apart from the world Test wickets record that Kapil held for over six years, until March 2000, his other big achievement was to lead in limited-overs cricket minnows India to World Cup triumph in 1983.
In an illustrious international career that ran from 1978 to 1994, Kapil captured 434 wickets and scored 5,248 runs in 131 Tests, and bagged 253 wickets and made 3,783 runs in 225 ODIs. He was best known for his potent outswinger.
