Both Imran Khan and Kapil Dev would rank amongst the finest all-rounders to have ever played the game. One belonged from the higher echelons of the society - Oxford educated with a feudal background, who lived like a rockstar; the other, while tremendously talented, looked like a proletarian with a ‘salt of the earth’ vibe about him. One was a terrifying pace bowler who is universally acknowledged as the architect who inspired a battery of great fast bowlers; while the other, a genuine swing bowler who arrived like a cool breeze amidst a barren landscape; both inspiring their respective nations to a world cup glory.
Let us examine their contributions and break them down individually.
Imran Khan, the Bowler
Best Ranking: 1
Best Rating: 922
Even as a pure bowler, Imran Khan was one of the best of his times; ‘devastating’ to be precise. The period between 1977-1983 was the time when Imran was at his lethal best, haunting batsmen with bouncers, yorkers, off-cutters and if it still didn't work out, he'd bamboozle them with the novel art of ‘reverse swing’. Along with Michael Holding, he had one of the most beautiful bowling actions.
Osman Samiuddin writes,
He ran in off increasingly longer strides, a run-up meticulously calculated over the years. It helped him gather momentum and then, as he approached the umpire, that leap, so high, and from side on, such an exquisite and elegant portrait of taut human musculature. Broad shoulders and chest emanating from narrow hips, shirt buttons unwilling to do their basic job, gold chain dangling, longish hair carefully maintained to look windswept; of the innate but often accidental aestheticism of athletics, there can have been few better manifestations than Imran’s bowling action.
- The Unquiet Ones (Osman Samiuddin)
Kapil Dev, the Bowler
Best Ranking: 2
Best Rating: 877
Kapil Dev was an out-and-out swing bowler who grew up on dusty Indian pitches. Two-hundred and seventeen of Kapil Dev’s 432 Test wickets were actually taken in the heat and dust of India through sheer grind. His greatest asset being accuracy and his ability to move the ball away from the right handers. Depsite being low on pace, Kapil, under Sunil Gavaskar's captaincy, would employ the bouncer as a surprise weapon. Infact in his first ever tour to Pakistan, Kapil, upon the insistence of Gavaskar produced a bouncer to Sadiq Mohammad in the very second over which zoomed past his cap; Ramchandra Guha remarked,
"very likely the fastest delivery from an Indian bowler since independence".
- Spin And Other Turns (Ram Guha)
Imran, The Batsman
Best Ranking: 12
Best Rating: 650
As his career progressed, Imran's batting transformed along with it. He became far more dependable and consistent, adapting to every situation. His performance in the 2nd Test at Adelaide in 1989, reflected his maturity as a batsman. He would replicate similar performances against tougher opponents and alien conditions. By the bye, he could always free his arms whenever the situation allowed him, scoring more than a run-a-ball was never beyond him.
Kapil, The Batsman
Best Ranking: 21
Best Rating: 598
Kapil Dev was a ‘natural attacking batsman.’ The decree of ‘Mumbai school of batsmanship’ least applied on him. Much like Virender Sehwag in the modern day, Kapil never bothered about the situation and kept playing his natural, aggressive style. The four sixes to avoid the follow-on is one such example; the mammoth 175 in the WC against Zimbabwe is another. Kapil Dev always remained an entertainer with the bat. Infact, today's stylish, aggressive Indian stars, Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh are more obviously Kapil's spiritual heirs.
Imran, The All-rounder
Best Ranking: 1
Best Rating: 518
In terms of sheer consistency, Imran Khan was at a whole different level from his peers. Even at the swansong age of 37, Immy, kept highlighting many a series with both bat and ball.
‘The tougher the competition, the better it got out of me.’
- Imran Khan (Wisden, 2010)
Even with dynamic stars like Wasim Akram, Abdul Qadir and Javed Miandad; Imran's command over the ball and the willow almost always overshadowed the rest. He would produce series defining performances away from home against sides like West Indies, England and Australia. And when you throw in his captaincy, Imran just shoots up into the stratosphere.
Kapil, The All-rounder,
Best Ranking: 1
Best Rating: 433
Kapil Dev continued to be India's ‘go to’ man. Even though he lacked the consistency of Imran, he remained the heartbeat of the Indian team for more than a decade. As his career progressed, he would quietly perform his duties as a bowler and then, when the need arose, he would produce an entertaining performance with the bat. As a fielder, he was easily the best amongst the four all-rounders, the safest pair of hands in the Indian side until Azharuddin came to scene. Kapil did not give a serious thought to his batting, which he should have; but even then, he would quietly amass 4000 runs and 400 wickets. Gideon Haigh perfectly summarises Kapil's career,
Gavaskar, great as he was, could never rival the epic grandeur of a Viv Richards. Kapil, in an era of the international game uncommonly blessed with fast-bowling allrounders, more than held his own against them.
My Conclusion,
Despite playing 43 games less than Kapil, Imran astonishingly leads with 11 MoM awards, while Kapil has 8. At their absolute peak, Imran was definitely the better bowler; in terms of batsmanship, Imran thrived on versatility, while Kapil was more exciting with a ‘my way or the high way’ attitude. Kapil definitely being the better fielder; Imran, the better captain, the best of the era.
Imran Khan finished No. 7th in espncricinfo's LEGEND'S OF CRICKET. He was introduced with the following line,
“In an era of great all-rounders, he was perhaps the greatest.”
Given a choice, I would settle for Imran.
Let's hear from the horse's mouth,
When I first saw Imran, his run up, I thought he couldn’t even play in his school team. But the kind of improvement he showed, no one comes close to it. Imran was very quick, he could be extraordinary; his run up, his jump, his bowling was far better than us (other three).
- Kapil Dev (2018)
Sources:
- The Unquiet Ones (2015), Osman Samiuddin.
- Spin and Other Turns (2000), Ram Guha.