On February 8, 1994, Indian cricket legend Kapil Dev etched his name in the annals of history by claiming his 432nd Test wicket, surpassing New Zealand’s Richard Hadlee’s world record of 431 wickets. The dramatic moment unfolded at the Motera Stadium in Ahmedabad during a Test match against Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka batted first, and Kapil, needing just one more wicket to make history, delivered. He trapped Hasan Tillekaratne lbw, but it was caught at short leg by Sanjay Manjrekar. The stadium erupted as 432 balloons were released into the sky, symbolizing the milestone. Doordarshan paused the broadcast to play a special song: ‘This is reality, not a dream; Kapil Dev is unmatched.’ Fans stood and applauded for a full minute.
India dominated the match, winning by an innings and 17 runs. Sri Lanka crumbled to 119 in their first innings, with Venkatapati Raju taking 5-38 and Rajesh Chauhan grabbing 3-8. Pramodya Wickramasinghe top-scored with 22.
In response, India piled up 358, led by Mohammad Azharuddin’s magnificent 152, featuring 17 boundaries. Vinod Kambli added 57. Muttiah Muralitharan and Aravinda de Silva claimed three wickets each for the visitors.
Sri Lanka’s second innings ended at 222, with Roshan Mahanama making 63 and Tillekaratne 40. Raju starred again with 6-87, and Chauhan took 3 wickets. This victory cemented Kapil’s legacy as one of cricket’s greatest all-rounders.
Kapil, who led India to the 1983 World Cup triumph, ended his career with 434 Test wickets, 253 ODI wickets, and over 9,000 international runs. His contributions earned him the Arjuna Award in 1979-80, Padma Shri in 1982, and Padma Bhushan in 1991.