India cricket legend Kapil Dev has thanked everyone for the overwhelming support and wishes after he suffered a heart-attack late Thursday that required angioplasty in. Kapil is currently admitted in ICU and is recovering well.
The 61-year-old, who is lives in the Delhi, complained of chest pain following which he was rushed to Fortis Escorts Heart Institute emergency department in Okhla.
On Friday, in a short statement on his Instagram account, the legendary allrounder expressed gratitude for the concern and support extended to his family.
“Thank you everyone for all the love and concern. I am overwhelmed with the good wishes and well on the road to recovery,” the statement read.
An official statement from the hospital said Kapil is stable.
“Kapil Dev suffered a heart attack. He was evaluated and an emergency coronary angioplasty was performed in the middle of night,” the hospital said in an updated health bulletin after only mentioning chest pain in its initial statement.
“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,” it addded.
Angioplasty is a procedure to open blocked arteries and restore normal blood flow to the heart.
BCCI also posted a statement on its Twitter handle, wishing the world-cup winning captain a speedy recovery.
“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,” the tweet read.
Kapil is widely regarded as one of the greatest cricketers to have played the game and created history when he lead India to their maiden ODI World Cup title in 1983 when they stunned then two-time defending champions West Indies at Lord’s.
After retiring, he dabbled his hands in commentary and was also the coach of the Indian team.
Kapil was inducted into the International Cricket Council’s Hall of Fame in 2010.