Kapil refuses to draw parallels with 1983 win

Dubai: Ever since Mahendra Singh Dhoni held aloft the Twenty20 World Cup at the Wanderers on that magical Monday night, the print media had often been using it as a collage next to another image: that of a beaming Kapil Dev with the Prudential Cup in 1983.

An image, which till the other day, was the most definitive high point of Indian cricket.

The comparisons have inevitably begun, though the man who was named Wisden's Indian Cricketer of the Century, refuses to be a party to it.

"It's them who have won the honour, let the boys have their share of fun," Kapil Dev told Gulf News from New Delhi. "I am not willing to compare the two," said the legendary allrounder.

Stormy affair

Over the last few months, the relationship between him and the Indian cricket establishment had been, to put it mildly, nothing short of stormy. Zee Television has pitched Dev in the forefront of their war with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), making him the chairman of the rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL).

The Board has, of course, struck back by first sacking him from the director's post of National Cricket Academy (NCA) and then announcing two high-profile Twenty20 competitions themselves.

However, for somebody known for his fierce nationalistic pride, it's difficult to presume though that Kapil did not join in the celebrations.

"Of course, we were dancing and partying at the Aaj Tak (a channel for whom he was giving expert comments) till 2am at night. It's a moment we will never forget," said Kapil.

The former great was however, happy that the Twenty20 format has proved to be a big success with it's first World Cup. "It's a big hit already," he said.