Dean Jones' commitment to the game was legendary, says Kapil Dev

India’s 1983 World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev has always admired cricketers who are characters and Dean Jones fits the bill perfectly. The former Australian cricketer, who scored the historic double hundred in the tied Test against India in Chennai in 1986, died of a cardiac arrest on Thursday afternoon in Mumbai. The Australian leaves behind a rich legacy.

“He was a character for sure. I am not saying this because he is no more with us. I have known him for a long time to be able to say this. He was an interesting character. So many people have come and gone. But Dean has gone too early. I am so sad about that,” Kapil Dev told Sportskeeda on Thursday evening.

Jones was not only a very innovative ODI batsman and an impactful player in the longer format of the game but also played a key role in helping Australia become a world-class team. “Dean has done a lot for Australia and cricket in general. He had dedicated his life to this game. This game will always be grateful to him. He was amazing,” Kapil said.

He went on to add: “Dean will be remembered as one of the members of the big league who have contributed to this game. His commitment to the game can be compared to the likes of Sunil Gavaskar, Ravi Shastri, Michael Holding, Tony Grieg, Richie Benaud and Clive Lloyd.”

Kapil also fondly remembers meeting Jones last year in Mumbai. “Dean was a dear friend of mine. He was extremely friendly and had a good sense of humour. He was liked by all and he wanted to work all the time. Be it commentary, coaching, writing a blog or acting like a professor. He was always at it,” Kapil said.

When reminded about the historic tied Test match where both Kapil Dev, who scored 119, and Dean Jones’s 210 were some of the memorable performances, the former Indian captain said: “All I remember is that Dean wasn’t well. He was vomiting and he made a double century.”

A fighter to the core. That was Dean Jones to us!