From zenith to nadir: How Kapil Dev's reputation faded away

Coaching troubles and a man’s tears

The captain and coach partnership that did not turn out to be successful

With Sachin Tendulkar taking over as captain of India, it was necessary for the squad to have a guide with the “same mental wavelength” as the skipper. No one better than Kapil Dev, right? So in September 1999, the former Haryana pacer was anointed as the coach of the Indian national cricket team – pipping his former teammate Kris Srikkanth to the post.

Under his stewardship, however, India lurched from the highs of victories over New Zealand to the lows of an Aussie whitewash (away) and a South African wipeout at home. What disheartened Tendulkar at the time, as he mentions in his autobiography Playing it My Way, was that his former senior in India colours kept himself away from talking and discussing strategy, operating mostly in a hands-off manner.

Now Kapil might have been guilty of being a “passive” coach. But there is another side to it – he may have felt that the team, under experienced hands such as Tendulkar, Ganguly and Dravid, would be mature enough to plot the downfall of the opposition while fortifying themselves with the right mix of batsmen and bowlers. The argument doesn’t cut too much ice, but it is certainly food for thought.

Nevertheless, the coach’s spotless record (and his integrity) was called into question. The match fixing and betting scandal broke. Hansie Cronje was sacked, and a number of unsubstantiated allegations from former India player Manoj Prabhakar were taken seriously. And India reeled from the double blow.

The man whom we idolized growing up, the ever-smiling cricketer with his signature line (”Palmolive da jawab nahin”), the one who took India to such dizzying heights – how could he be so callous as to throw away a match for money?

The whole world was after his blood. Pressure mounted daily, in the form of veiled attacks, barbs and jibes,from both the media, BCCI influencers, and politicians.

He did what any man would do under such circumstances – he broke down on live television during an interview on the BBC. It wasn’t an admission of guilt – it was the sight of a man so tormented, so broken by the relentless lies and half truths, that he was eventually shattered to pieces. In terms of the emotional reaction, it reminded me of Kim Hughes’ tearful announcement in 1984.

Eventually, Kaps (as he was fondly nicknamed) resigned from his coaching job, and cut all ties with cricket. He was also exonerated from all charges levelled at him. Small comfort for a man who had always been a proud servant of his nation for almost two decades.

Much in the same way that former Australian captain Bill Lawry described Hughes’ decision to quit as leader of the Kangaroos, Kapil’s crucifixion and trial-by-public can be summed up thus:

“The demise of Kapil Dev’s reputation, and the tarnishing of his cricketing legacy, is akin to being dragged down and devoured by your own, with and without. It is, put it simply, a disgrace.”

The veteran rebel and the saga of the Indian Cricket League

Kapil’s involvement as Chairman of the ICL resulted in severe sanctions from the BCCI

Zee Entertainment head honcho Subhash Chandra is known for his numerous attempts to get a substantial piece of the lucrative pie that cricket offers to his ilk (businessmen). When the BCCI refused to award his Essel Group the rights to broadcast matches on more than one occasion, the tycoon formed his own cash-rich Twenty20 tournament – the Indian Cricket League (ICL).

Kapil, who had come out of his self-imposed cricketing exile, worked as a bowling consultant prior to India’s tour of Pakistan in 2004, and was made Chairman of the BCCI’s National Cricket Academy (NCA), was roped in to head the rebel league. Along with his former teammates Kiran More and Sandeep Patil, he described the initiative as “helping to find the Indian board more talent”.

In response, the BCCI ended up not only banning the ICL, but also revoked the pensions of all ex-players associated with the breakaway faction. Dev was singled out for harsh treatment – the BCCI sacked him from the NCA post as well as withholding his pension. A legal tussle followed, with the 1983 WC winner emerging victorious.

Mercenary? Perhaps. But he is a retired cricket player after all. He does have the right to create and nurture a source of income for himself and his family. Sure, he has invested in many businesses, got into the restaurant segment, and has appeared in a few Bollywood movies. It still doesn’t make him a gun-for-hire.

Fame is indeed a fickle friend. Kaps’ reputation was tarnished by what happened off-field, and he has had to pay heavily for those incidents. Now all that remains is a shadow of a once-great cricketer who made the world sit up and take notice of India, the one who taught us to fight on equal terms.

His greatness can never be diminshed. Period.