Kapil Dev, legendary cricketer and former Team India skipper, suffers heart attack, hospitalised

In an unfortunate turn of events, former India captain Kapil Dev had to be hospitalised after he suffered a heart attack.

NEW DELHI: In an unfortunate turn of events, former Team India captain Kapil Dev suffered a massive heart attack on Friday morning following which he was immediately hospitalised at the Fortis Escort Hospital in Delhi. The 62-year-old legendary cricketer underwent angioplasty and he is said to be in a stable condition now.

Fortis Escorts Hospital issued a press release which said, ''Former Indian Cricket captain Kapil Dev, Age 62 years, came to Fortis Escorts Heart Institute (Okhla Road) emergency department at 1:00 am on 23rd October with a complaint of chest pain. He was evaluated and an emergency coronary Angioplasty was performed by Dr. Atul Mathur, Director of Cardiology Department, in the middle of the night."                                             

''Currently, he is admitted in ICU and under the close supervision of Dr. Atul Mathur and his team. Kapil Dev is stable now and he is expected to get discharged in a couple of days,'' the statement added.

However, Kapil Dev's family members are yet to give an update about the same. 

The 62-year-old felt unwell on Thursday following which he was taken to a hospital here, Indian Cricketers Association (ICA) President Ashok Malhotra was quoted saying by PTI. "He is feeling okay now. I just spoke to his wife (Romi). He was feeling uneasy yesterday. He is undergoing check-ups at a hospital as we speak," Malhotra, also a former Test player, confirmed.

Kapil Dev, also known as ''Hariyana Hurricane.'' is credited with putting India on the world map as he defeated the mighty West Indies in the 1983 World Cup final in Lord's as India won their first-ever World Cup trophy.

The World Cup-winning captain has been pretty active with his views on cricket in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020. The former Indian skipper was also dealing with diabetes-related health issues. The news of Kapil Dev's heart attack has left his fans in a state of shock. They took to social media platforms to wish the 'Haryana Hurricane' a speedy recovery. 

"Wishing you a speedy recovery @therealkapildev sir. Strength always," India batsman Shikhar Dhawan tweeted.

One of the finest of all, Kapil Dev made his debut for India against Pakistan in Quetta on October 1, 1978. He went on to represent India in 131 Tests, amassing 5,248 runs in addition to picking up 434 wickets.

The all-rounder also represented India in 225, ODIs, scoring 3,783 runs and picking up 253 wickets. His finest moment in the game came in 1983 when he led India to their first-ever World Cup triumph.

He is also the youngest all-rounder in the history of competitive cricket to have achieved the double of 1000 runs and 100 wickets at a mere 21 years of age. After retiring from the game in 1994, he served as the head coach of the Indian. He took charge of the team in 1999. 

Married to Romi Bhatia since 1980 and the couple has a daughter named Amiya. Kapil Dev was commissioned as an honorary Lieutenant Colonel of the Indian Territorial Army on Sept 24, 2008.

A biopic on the life of the cricketer is also being made into a Bollywood movie. Titled '83, the film stars Ranveer Singh. Singh will be portraying the '83 World Cup-winning Indian captain. The legend has three autobiographies: By God's Decree, Cricket My Style and Straight from the Heart - on him.

Here's Zee News wishing the legendary cricketer a speedy recovery.