Kapil Dev honoured with Lifetime achievement award in London

Kapil Dev

The Indo-European Business Forum (IEBF) has honoured the former Indian captain and 1983 World Cup winner Kapil Dev with a Lifetime Achievement award in London on Wednesday. The iconic cricketer was awarded for his contribution to the sport and in the upliftment of poor and destitute communities through the Khushii society.

“I am very proud to be Indian. Today India is ready to do business with anybody in the world,” Dev said in his acceptance speech at the House of Lords.

Kapil, easily the greatest all-rounder India has produced, represented India in 131 Test matches and 225 ODIs. The 55-year-old Chandigarh-born was also awarded with the CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award by the BCCI in their 2012-13 annual awards ceremony held in Mumbai.

The fast bowler briefly held the record for highest number of Test wickets (434) before West Indies’ Courtney Walsh went past him, in 2000, and is now at the sixth spot in the list of all-time leading wicket-takers.

“I used to hate England because they ruled my country but I am happy they gave us the game of cricket, which they can’t play very well, and the English language, which I can’t speak very well,” he added on a lighter note.