Kapil Dev was an extremely fit athlete. He was way ahead of his time in fitness, fielding standards and overall as a package. He was a hard hitting batter lower the order, could swing the ball and was the leader of the side. Probably only Imran Khan had as much credibility as Kapil Dev had (Barring fielding).
Take later so-called ‘Replacements of Kapil' for example. Manoj Prabhakar, Irfan Pathan, Robin Singh, Stuart Binny and Hardik Pandya all lacked something or the other.
- Manoj Prabhakar was a good All-rounder in his earlier days. But he tapered off in his later days.
- Irfan Pathan wasn't as capable as Kapil as a batter. Fielding wasn't a strength of him. Captaincy is a far ask from him.
- Robin Singh was more of a batter who could bowl. Nothing much special than that.
- Stuart Binny was more of a bits and pieces cricketer. Definitely had a good first class record. But never could justify it at the highest level.
- Hardik Pandya is actually the closest replacement we've got to Kapil Dev (Leaving out Longevity). But he isn't as fit as Kapil Dev.
To be honest, it's extremely hard to have a long successful career as a fast bowling All-rounder, a more than capable batter, an exceptional fielder and an inspiring leader. Kapil was such a rare entity. So it's always a tough ask to be the ‘Next Kapil Dev’ of the team, especially playing mostly in subcontinent conditions.
Image credits - Cricket Addictor.