Remember February 8? It’s the day in 1994 when Kapil Dev became the fastest to 432 Test wickets, overtaking Richard Hadlee during the India-Sri Lanka Test at Ahmedabad’s Motera.
Sri Lanka opened the batting, but Kapil, one shy of the record, struck gold by getting Tillekaratne caught by Manjrekar at short leg. Pandemonium ensued: 432 balloons soared, fans roared, and TV aired a celebratory song hailing Kapil as unbeatable. The ovation lasted over a minute.
India crushed Sri Lanka by an innings and 17 runs. The Lankans scored a paltry 119 first up, with Raju (5/38) and Chauhan (3/8) starring. Wickramasinghe made 22.
Azharuddin’s explosive 152, laced with 17 fours, propelled India to 358. Kambli chipped in 57, while Muralitharan and de Silva took 3 each.
In their second knock, Sri Lanka reached 222, led by Mahanama’s 63 and Tillekaratne’s 40. Raju’s 6/87 and Chauhan’s 3 sealed the win.
The Haryana Hurricane, 1983 World Cup-winning captain, retired with 434 Test wickets, 253 in ODIs, and thousands of runs. Awards: Arjuna (1979-80), Padma Shri (1982), Padma Bhushan (1991).