Recalling the Kapil Dev – Peter Kirsten – Kepler Wessels incident from 1992
It’s 26 years since the incident, but Kapil Dev mankading Peter Kirsten remains one of the most discussed incidents in matches between India and South Africa. While the incident itself is well known and widely discussed, there are so many stories surrounding the incident that aren’t as popular.
In our brand new “Tweet Stories” section, we bring you cricket stories in the Twitter #Thread format. The first, by @imRohit_SN, is on the Kapil Dev – Peter Kirsten incident in India’s first tour of S Africa in 1992.
Read on
(1/10)#Tweetstories #INDvSA
— CricXtasy (@CricXtasy) September 26, 2019
The mankading incident as such is pretty famous and needs no introduction for ardent cricket fans. However, there are many side kicks to the main story which make for interesting viewing. (2/10)#INDvSA #Tweetstories pic.twitter.com/J1PKijCvZB
— CricXtasy (@CricXtasy) September 26, 2019
The series was dubbed the “Friendship series” after the helping hand India had extended to the #Proteas. But the mankading incident set tempers flaring.
“So this is what the f*****g Friendship Series is all about,” Dave Callaghan famously said. (3/10)#INDvSA #Tweetstories pic.twitter.com/UJfrI12XY3
— CricXtasy (@CricXtasy) September 26, 2019
Kapil had signalled to Kepler Wessels with 3 fingers indicating that he had warned Kirsten thrice. Later, Wessels apparently hit Kapil on the shin with the bat while taking a run.
(4/10)#INDvSA #Tweetstories pic.twitter.com/nBWT7I8A7v
— CricXtasy (@CricXtasy) September 26, 2019
This forced Indian manager on tour, Amrit Mathur, to lodge a complaint with match referee Clive Lloyd.
Mathur later wrote on The Quint that Kapil “was absolutely convinced Kepler hit him on purpose”.
(5/10)#INDvSA #Tweetstories pic.twitter.com/ohP6TF3wwA
— CricXtasy (@CricXtasy) September 26, 2019
Umpire Cyril Mitchley didn’t agree with Indians.
“The UCB [now CSA] had 12 reported cases of schoolboys doing it (what Kapil did) after that incident. As much as I respect Kapil, I didn’t agree with what he did then,” he told years later.
(6/10)#INDvSA #Tweetstories pic.twitter.com/t3RaIcru5S
— CricXtasy (@CricXtasy) September 26, 2019
Lloyd had a tough task before him & he was hesitant to make a call.
He was also denied of a video footage after broadcasters SABC denied supplying footage claiming they had no recording.
According to Mathur, this was “deliberately suppressed”.
(7/10)#INDvSA #Tweetstories pic.twitter.com/jZSsho7Wuo
— CricXtasy (@CricXtasy) September 26, 2019
Mathur in his piece even ponders if the “white vs black angle” or Lloyd’s “lack of moral courage” played a role in the eventual decision which said there wasn’t any conclusive evidence to suggest Wessels did it deliberately.
(8/10)#INDvSA #Tweetstories
— CricXtasy (@CricXtasy) September 26, 2019
Later, when asked about this, Wessels repeated “there was nothing deliberate”.
When told Kapil was still upset over it, Wessels remembered that Kapil appeared “a bit formal” whenever he met him after that.
“I hope he holds no grudge” – Wessels had told.
(9/10)#INDvSA
— CricXtasy (@CricXtasy) September 26, 2019
Even if 25-plus years have passed since the incident in Port Elizabeth, ‘Mankading’ remains as controversial and every time it happens, Indians remember the Kapil – Kirsten incident, which was the seventh such instance in cricketing history.
(10/10)#INDvSA #Tweetstories pic.twitter.com/EE0l9AyPT8
— CricXtasy (@CricXtasy) September 26, 2019