| Kapil Dev is arguably one of India's best-loved cricketers, a player known for his large heart both on and off the field. |
| In 1982, he captained underdogs India to its only World Cup win at Lord's, a triumph made possible only after Dev's swashbuckling 173 not out against Zimbabwe. |
| He is remembered today for innings such as these. He was recently awarded Wisden Cricketer Of The Century Award and has inspired a whole generation of pace bowlers with his amazing fitness levels. |
| "I'm not a man who has much indepth knowledge of financial matters, so I wouldn't want to make a general comment on what I would do if I were the finance minister. However, I can talk about the sports sector since I know something about what is required there. |
| "One problem hindering sports in our country is that quality sports equipment is not made easily available to youngsters. There are some duty-exemption measures but that's not enough. |
| For instance, the sports federation should allow the import of synthetic turfs for our hockey players, and this should be exempt from taxes. |
| The promotion of lower-profile sports can also be facilitated "" for example, shooting is a sport with potential but currently, youngsters have to pay heavy duty for imported rifles, and so many simply don't take it up. |
| "There are other areas where money is required. Internationally, 80 per cent of sports are played under lights and to be prepared for international events our sportspersons need to practice accordingly. But most of our clubs don't have enough funds for this facility. This is a priority area." |
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