Ranking India’s Top 10 ODI match-winners of all-time

9. Kapil Dev

Whenever you take the name of India’s win in the 1983 World Cup, only one visual pops up in mind, which is that of a young Kapil Dev, laying his hands on the coveted trophy and lifting it up in joy. And as iconic this picture is, the name of Kapil Dev in the development of the Indian team in its formative years in One Day International cricket is the same.

The guiding light for the team into becoming a powerhouse in international cricket, Kapil Dev was a player that India got when it needed the most. An able leader and a player who could win matches for the Indian team single-handedly, Kapil Dev’s presence in the Indian dressing room for the very crucial years of the sport’s development is the reason that team India stand at the pedestal in the cricketing world in today’s date. One of the first true all-round players to come out of India, Kapil set a benchmark for the coming players that is still used to rank the players.

During the course of his career, Kapil played in a total of 225 One Day International matches for Team India, and scored 3783 runs and took 253 wickets. He made sure that every appearance of his in the Indian jersey was worth the effort and he gave his absolute best in pressure situations making sure to get the team past the finish line with success more often than not.