New Delhi: Sunil Gavaskar, a legendary Indian batsman, praised Kapil Dev on the 40th anniversary of India's World Cup victory in 1983. India, the underdog, overcame the favoured West Indies to win their first championship, which would alter the course of cricket in the nation.

Gavaskar compared Kapil to MS Dhoni in an interview , claiming that the former was the original captain cool because of the way he conducted himself on the pitch.

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MS Dhoni is referred to as "Captain Cool" because of his ability to remain collected and calm under pressure. Experts and fans have both complimented his captaincy style over the years, and the name has virtually come to be associated with the former captain of the Indian cricket team. Sunil Gavaskar, a former Indian opener, thinks there is another candidate for that moniker. Gavaskar recently discussed his 1983 World Cup all-around performance and claimed that Kapil Dev is the original "Captain Cool" in an interview with Times of India.

"Kapil's performances with both bat and ball were dazzling to say the least. Not to forget his catch of Viv Richards in the final. His captaincy was dynamic, exactly what the format required, and his ready smile even when a player dropped a catch or mis-fielded makes him the original captain cool."

"It's hard to put in words what those moments after the win felt like. It would have made a great advert for toothpaste as everybody around us were laughing and smiling and to see that was simply heart-lifting," he added.

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India was the underdog entering the 1983 World Cup, but they ended up winning it after defeating West Indies, the reigning champions, in the championship match. Kapil Dev excelled at both the bat and the ball, and his catch to remove Viv Richards from the game will go down in history.

Gavaskar also made the jest that the players and staff's frequent smiles during India's 1983 World Cup victory should have been used as a toothpaste commercial.

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