Top 7 Indian Sultans of Swing: Exponents of a Mysterious Craft

#2 Kapil Dev

Kapil Dev could swing the ball and the bat

One of the greatest all-rounders of all time and the only cricketer with the 5000 runs and 400 Test wickets double in Test cricket, Kapil Dev was born with some rare natural gifts – athleticism, supreme fitness and a deadly out-swinger to the right-handers.

Who could forget those three golden balls Down Under in 1991, when he got Allan Border and Dean Jones, the latter having received one swinging away like a peach and then missing one that swung in late.

One of the cleanest actions in all of cricket, Kapil never really indulged in the fast-bowler-banter, the round-arm action doing all the talking. He was special in his ability to move the ball late, owing to his average speed of close to 130kph, which ensured the ball reached the optimal speed for swing somewhere midway through its journey.

He also possessed a lethal in-dipping yorker that bamboozled batsmen across generations. Kapil Dev is the most successful Indian fast bowler with 687 wickets – 253 in ODIs at 27.45 at a measly economy rate of 3.71 and 434 in Tests at 29.64 (second highest is Zaheer’s distant 311 showing Kapil’s longevity).