Birthday Special: The biggest lie of Kapil Dev's career, did he really bowl no no balls in Test cricket? Know here!

PC: ABP LIVE

Kapil Dev's contribution to Indian cricket is unparalleled, especially as the captain who led India to its first World Cup win in 1983. His explosive batting and especially fast bowling added to the strength of Team India. Kapil Dev made many records during his illustrious career, one of which has remained a topic of discussion for many years. However, the truth is that the claim is false.

Born on 6 January 1959, Kapil Dev played 131 Test matches and 225 ODI matches for India during his 16-year-long career. His phenomenal performance in Test cricket is particularly notable, where Kapil Dev achieved some extraordinary feats which no other Indian fast bowler has been able to surpass.

His record of 434 Test wickets is unmatched in this format, making Kapil Dev the highest wicket-taker for a long time. Although spinners like Anil Kumble and Ravichandran Ashwin have gone ahead of Kapil, no other Indian fast bowler has been able to surpass him.

Apart from wickets, Kapil Dev was known for his discipline as both a captain and bowler. It was because of this discipline that the story of a record was added to Kapil's name. This is the record of not bowling a no-ball in Test cricket. It is said that Kapil did not bowl a no-ball even once in his long career of 131 Test matches.

Obviously, this is a claim which is very difficult to believe but because of the kind of disciplined player Kapil was, this claim was believed. However, the reality is quite different. In the second ball of his debut Test in October 1978, Kapil Dev bowled a no-ball due to a front-foot error, but during that era, there were no TV umpires to review such decisions. It is possible that many more no-balls may have gone unnoticed. Despite this, Kapil's abilities as a fast bowler and his impact on Indian cricket are beyond question.