Who’s a Better Cricketing Role Model: Kapil Dev or Sachin Tendulkar?

Abhishek Kumar
3 min readJun 30, 2023

--

When it comes to cricket, India has got so many role models and people worship cricketers according to the region as well. For instance, while some people like Sunil Gavaskar, others like Kapil Dev. Some worship Sachin Tendulkar, while others have Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid as their favorites.

In the most recent period, people idolize Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Virat Kohli, and Rohit Sharma as well. However, the debate about a better cricketing role model will always be a hot one and you can always count the achievements and failures of cricketers to show them good or bad respectively.

Kapil Dev and Sachin Tendulkar are two of the greatest cricketers of all time, and both have been cited as role models by many young players.

Kapil Dev was an aggressive all-rounder who was known for his powerful batting and his ability to take wickets with both pace and spin. He was also a natural leader, who captained India to victory in the 1983 Cricket World Cup.

Sachin Tendulkar was a more technically-minded batsman who was known for his elegant strokeplay and his ability to score runs in all conditions. He is the highest run-scorer in both Test and ODI cricket, and he is widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of all time.

In terms of their personal qualities, both Kapil Dev and Sachin Tendulkar are role models for their humility, their dedication to the game, and their commitment to helping others.

Ultimately, the best cricketing role model for you will depend on your own personal preferences. If you are looking for an aggressive all-rounder who is a natural leader, then Kapil Dev is a good choice. If you are looking for a technically-minded batsman who is a role model for humility and dedication, then Sachin Tendulkar is a good choice.

Here are some of the key differences between Kapil Dev and Sachin Tendulkar:

  • Playing style: Kapil Dev was an aggressive all-rounder, while Sachin Tendulkar was a more technically-minded batsman.
  • Batting strengths: Kapil Dev was known for his power and timing, while Sachin Tendulkar was known for his elegance and consistency.
  • Bowling strengths: Kapil Dev was a capable bowler of both pace and spin, while Sachin Tendulkar did not bowl.
  • Captaincy: Kapil Dev was a natural leader, while Sachin Tendulkar was not.
  • Personal qualities: Both Kapil Dev and Sachin Tendulkar are role models for their humility, dedication to the game, and commitment to helping others.

So now it depends on your if you wish to choose a batsman as your role model or a batsman who was a major bowler, and a captain as well. You may have your theories that Sachin Tendulkar made cricket popular in India but you need to understand that cricket was popular in India even before Sachin made his debut.

And it was probably the century by Kapil Dev against Zimbabwe that helped even Sachin Tendulkar decide a career for him as a cricketer. So while Sachin Tendulkar was still in his nappies, Kapil Dev already won the world cup for India and this is something a person should remember when choosing a role model.

If you just witnessed Virat Kohli playing, it does not mean that Sachin Tendulkar was not a good player and if you watched only Sachin Tendulkar play, it does not mean Kapil Dev or Sunil Gavaskar were no match. Good stats are a good sign for a cricketer but stats do not always define the quality, just as the report card of a child cannot determine his intelligence.

--

--

Abhishek Kumar

A Passionate Writer with love for Technology. I love discovering new gadgets and writing about smartphones. However, do not let technology take away your sleep.