The best all-rounder and greatest cricketer to ever represent India, Kapil Dev received yet another honour yesterday and this time by Madame Tussauds museum. Yes, the legendary all-rounder now has a wax statue dedicated to him at the Madam Tussauds Museum, which he himself unveiled yesterday. Madame Tussauds is one of London’s largest tourist attractions. It has 23 branches across the world. The New Delhi Museum is the 23rd. And presence of this legendary cricketer will add too much attraction for cricket fans as Kapil Dev receives a HUGE honor from London !
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Member of the museum’s research team Neil Linssen said, “He is an iconic sports personality in cricket and the figure captures the moment, a dynamic pose that encapsulates his bowling. We had a team that went into finalising the pose and we are happy that he liked it too. He comes across as a very humble person”
All time great Kapil who never missed a Test because of injury or fitness reasons in a career that spanned 131 Tests spread over 16 years said, “When Madame Tussauds approached me, I felt very happy and delighted. This was altogether a whole new experience for me. I was unaware of the study and the research the team puts in to develop the sculpture. I have never been engaged in anything like this in past. Moreover, I felt honoured when I got to know that my figure will be placed along with personalities such as Amitabh Bachchan and Mahatma Gandhi in Madame Tussauds India,”.
“During the sitting process, they took over 300 measurements of me. That is when it hit me that this job is not easy. It indeed takes in a humongous effort and dedication. They measured each and every intricate detail of my body – my height, my hair, my skin colour, nails, shoe size and a lot more. One given sitting took 3-4 hours. Now when I look at my figure, I realise it was worth the effort. I really like my figure, the basic details captured are beautifully crafted. It looks exactly like me. It reminds me of that moment which is indeed a golden memory for me. Words can’t express how much I enjoyed that moment.” I am completely agree with Kapil Dev as words can’t express that Golden moment. That moment had led to many legendary Indian cricketers to take up the game as children. One such example is Sachin Tendulkar.
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The best fast bowling all-rounder India has ever produced, Kapil Dev also shared his views on upcoming CT. He said, “We have the team to defend the title. Very strong on paper. The selectors have done a good job. Depends on how they maintain themselves in that couple of weeks and keep pressure on the opponents. All the young Indian pacers have bowled well. I am delighted to see Bhuvi and Bumraah. When Bumraah started bowling, we were not sure if he would last this long with an awkward action. He has done very well. England will be difficult to play in their conditions. Their team is very good.”
Kapil Dev took wickets in odd conditions. Pitches in India were never helping pacers, yet he managed to destroy the stumps of the opponents! And his iconic inning of 175 is the best example of his greatness as a great all-rounder. And the victory of 1983 alone is enough reason to guarantee his spot in the history!
