On this day in 1994, marked a historic day in Indian cricket as the legendary allrounder, Kapil Dev, equalled Richard Hadlee’s then world record of 431 Test wickets. This milestone was achieved during the second Test against Sri Lanka at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore, where India secured a dominating innings and 95-run victory.

Electing to bat first, India put up a formidable batting display. Opener Navjot Singh Sidhu narrowly missed a century, scoring 99 runs off 228 balls, which included nine fours and two sixes. Vinod Kambli chipped in with a solid 82 runs, which included seven boundaries and two sixes. Sachin Tendulkar scored 96 runs off 140 balls, featuring 15 boundaries. The highlight of the innings was captain Mohammad Azharuddin’s masterful 108 runs, studded with 11 fours and a six. Kapil Dev further accelerated the innings with an unbeaten 53 runs from 68 balls, hitting six fours and two sixes. India declared their first innings at a massive 541 for 6. This was India’s fifth consecutive home Test where they had passed the score of 500.

Sri Lanka’s struggle in reply

In reply, Sri Lanka’s first innings folded at 231 runs, with Ruwan Kalpage top-scoring with 63 runs. Manoj Prabhakar was the pick of the Indian bowlers, claiming 4 wickets for 82 runs. Kapil Dev and Anil Kumble supported well, taking three wickets each.

Following on, Sri Lanka’s second innings saw them being bowled out for 215. Hashan Tillakaratne fought valiantly, scoring 80, but lacked support from the other end. Anil Kumble picket three wickets while Kapil, Rajesh Chauhan and Venkatapathy Raju claimed two wickets each.

Kapil Dev’s record-equalling feat

However, the crowning moment of the match came when Kapil Dev dismissed Don Anurasiri in the second innings, marking his 431st Test wicket and bringing him level with Richard Hadlee’s world record for most Test wickets. Nine days later, Kapil surpassed Hadlee’s record when he dismissed Hashan Tillakaratne in Ahmedabad, to become the highest wicket-taker in Test cricket.