India legend Kapil Dev recovering following heart surgery

Support has poured in for former India captain Kapil Dev, one of the greatest ever all-rounders, after he underwent a heart procedure.

 
 

India legend Kapil Dev is recovering in hospital after undergoing heart surgery.

Dev, one of the great all-rounders, was taken to Fortis Escorts Heart Institute in New Delhi in the early hours of Friday morning after complaining of chest pain.

The 61-year-old, who captained India when they won the World Cup in1983, underwent an angioplasty and is expected to be discharged over the weekend.

A widely reported statement released by the hospital said: "Former Indian Cricket captain Kapil Dev, age 61 years, came to Fortis Escorts Heart Institute (Okhla Road) emergency department at 1:00 am on October 23 with a complaint of chest pain.

"He was evaluated and an emergency coronary Angioplasty was performed by Dr Atul Mathur, Director of Cardiology Department, in the middle of the night. Currently, he is admitted in ICU and under close supervision of Dr Atul Mathur and his team.

"Kapil Dev is stable now and he is expected to get discharged in a couple of days."

Support flooded in for Dev on social media, with the BCCI tweeting "Wishing the @therealkapildev a swift recovery. The nation is well aware of his grit and spirit and we are very sure he will be out of the hospital soon."

India captain Virat Kohli posted: "Praying for your speedy recovery. Get well soon paaji. @therealkapildev."

The legendary India batsman Sachin Tendulkar tweeted: "Take care @therealkapildev! Praying for your quick recovery. Get well soon Paaji."

Ravi Shastri, the India head coach and Dev's former team-mate, wrote: "Stay strong big brother. God bless."