Latest news with #KapilDevGrantThorntonInvitational
Hans India
02-05-2025
- Sport
- Hans India
1983 WC winner, PGTI chief Kapil Dev meets UP CM Yogi Adityanath in Lucknow
Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) chief and 1983 World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev met Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath at his official residence here in Lucknow on Friday. CM Yogi took to X to share a glimpse of the meeting and wrote, "Renowned cricketer and captain of the 1983 World Cup-winning Indian cricket team, Kapil Dev paid a courtesy visit to the official residence in Lucknow today." Kapil Dev, who had a distinguished cricket career, represented India from 1978 to 1994. Known as one of the greatest all-rounders, he played 131 Tests, scoring 12,867 runs and taking 434 wickets. In 225 ODIs, he scored 6,945 runs and claimed 253 scalps and also led India to its first World Cup win in 1983. After he retired from cricket, Kapil Dev worked in various capacities - as a coach, commentator and chancellor of the Sports University of Haryana in 2019. He also had a brief stint as India's coach for 10 months between October 1999 and August 2000. In June 2024, Kapil Dev took over as president of PGTI from Srinivasan H R. He was elected unanimously for the position. The former cricketer, who has also excelled as an amateur golfer, has been the vice president and a member of the governing body of PGTI for three years (2021 to 2023) before being elected as PGTI chief. One of his notable contributions as a board member was the introduction of the Kapil Dev Grant Thornton Invitational tournament at the DLF Golf and Country Club. Over the past few years, Kapil's fame and passion for the sport earned him invitations to major events like the Dunhill Links, where he played alongside other global celebrities. In March this year, PGTI and Adani Group launched 'Adani Invitational Golf Championship 2025. The inaugural tournament, offering a Rs 1.5 crore prize pool, successfully took place at Jaypee Greens Golf Spa Resort, Greater Noida, from April 1-4, marking PGTI's return to the venue after 11 years.
New Indian Express
01-05-2025
- Sport
- New Indian Express
'Past is Gone, You Have to Move On,' says Kapil Dev in Bengaluru
As a country whose lifeblood is cricket, India has had a long list of cricketers who have made the country proud. The pantheon is too big and too glittered – such is the immensity of quality, that cricketers in the country seem to suffer daily from 'good' not being good enough. In the long list, many stand out; from the master blaster on the West coast to 'dada' in the East. However, among these stalwarts, few have had a legacy as enduring in the public imagination as Kapil Dev. The 1983 World Cup winner dons a different attire now – that of a golfer's. Dev, currently the president of the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI), was in the city to inaugurate the Kapil Dev Grant Thornton Invitational (KDGTI) tournament. The legendary all-rounder, who is all in on this new chapter, seems to have little room for anything besides his current, enthused preoccupation. 'The past is gone, you have to move on. Today is the most important day and we should want to grow from here, strand by strand. You don't have to talk about your success, what you did in your younger days. That's the way I live my life,' he remarks. Interestingly, the KDGTI is the first Indian tournament of its kind to have men and women compete jointly, establishing a landmark moment for the sport in the country. Dev cannot help but point out the very special circumstances of the sport that allows such a format, it being an inclusive system for most ages and body types. As he says, 'This is the first time we are doing something like this. We have a few mind sports where people [of various genders] come out and play. But as far as physical sports are concerned, this is the only game in this world where men and women can compete from the same point.' Dev, who knows all too well the importance of self-motivation, continues, 'Beyond each other, on the course, you are playing against yourself – playing against the course; and that's the beauty of this game.' Coming from a different, distant generation, Dev enjoys a great contextual vantage point from which to survey the growth of the culture of sports in India. While it may seem like every second parent centres their child's life around academics, things were indubitably worse. Dev, who was amongst the ones more fortunate, recalls, 'Those times were different. I come from a joint family; my parents didn't have much time. We were seven brothers and sisters who looked after each other. My parents only said one thing, 'Baba, if you can't study, go and play, become something.' I think the challenges in India today are different.' When asked about the parallels to his successes in the two fields, Dev is succinct, focusing on the psychological aspect. 'Commitment, dedication and discipline. Doesn't matter what you do, that is the mantra of life. You have to be committed to the cause. Rest, you leave it to the almighty,' he asserts. When it comes to golf's inaccessibility as a sport to the middle class, he is more hopeful than not. 'Cricket was once inaccessible too, and only the royalty were able to play. Today, everybody is playing. It is the same thing with golf. Give it 10 years' time, every city will have a golf course,' Dev concludes with confidence.
