Who was the real game-changer in Indian cricket? India's 1983 World Cup-winning skipper Kapil Dev or current super star MS Dhoni, who led India to their last World Cup win in 201
Who was the real game-changer in Indian cricket? India's 1983 World Cup-winning skipper Kapil Dev or current super star MS Dhoni, who led India to their last World Cup win in 2011. Batting legend Sunil Gavaskar who was part of that 1983 World Cup team and has closely followed Indian cricket's journey as soon as he played his last international match for India 30 years ago, reckons it is his former teammate. "For me, Kapil will always be (the game changer).
Sachin Tendulkar and Sunil Gavaskar at Rajdeep Sardesai’s book launch at the Royal Opera house yesterday. Pic/Sneha Kharabe
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He was the first one from a small town to make an impact, changed matches with bat and ball, won matches with both bat and ball," said Gavaskar at the launch of television journalist Rajdeep Sardesai's book Democracy's XI at the Royal Opera House in Mumbai yesterday. Gavaskar stressed to his audience that he was a huge admirer of Dhoni for the way he led the Indian team and conducted himself on and off the field. Gavaskar added even as Rajdeep reckoned Dhoni was the game-changer: "But I may be biased as it happens with all of one generation — they think their generation is the best." When Sachin Tendulkar was asked as to what changed Indian cricket by host Harsha Bhogle in terms of events, he didn't hesitate to point to the 1996 World Cup held in the Indian sub-continent well before the Indian Premier League fever gripped India.
Tendulkar and Gavaskar were asked about who was the batsman they would choose to bat for their lives, they both pointed to each other. Tendulkar stressed that he always wanted to do what Gavaskar did while the senior stalwart reckoned Tendulkar was the, "nearest" to cricketing perfection.
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