5 Cricket World Cup facts that you may not know

4) When generosity cost India

Kapil Dev during the 1987 World Cup

Kapil Dev was not only a legendary bowler for India, he was also a great and generous human being. However, his generosity once cost India—and that too in a World Cup clash.

When Dean Jones smashed Maninder Singh’s delivery over mid-off during a 1987 World Cup clash, the umpires weren’t sure if the ball went over the fence or bounced just inside it. Ravi Shastri, being the nearest fielder, signaled ‘four’ to the umpire and they took his word for it.

However, Dean Jones went towards the umpire and opined that it was a six. The latter delayed the resolving of the issue till the mid-innings break. During the break, the umpires approached Kapil Dev and he allowed Australia’s pleas to be accepted and hence, in the end, a six was awarded.

In the end, India lost the game by just a single run—making that decision a match-changing one.