‘His mother was everything for him’

Kapil was in his teens when he lost his father and it was his mother who brought him up,along with other six children.

Old timers still recall that June 25 ’83 summer night at their Sector 16 residence when India won the World Cup under Kapil at the Lord’s. His mother prayed through the final and when his son lifted the World Cup,she distributed laddoos to friends and well wishers.

“Kapil was the apple of his mother’s eyes. I remember she would insist Kapil to have butter milk during his early days in cricket. Likewise,Kapil was a dotting son,quite close to her,” Kapil’s coach,Dronacharya Desh Prem Azad,who has been quite close to the family recalled,adding: “She had been unwell for some time now and when Kapil was here last week,he spent most of the time with his mother.”

Also with the family today was Rakesh Jolly,former Haryana player and Kapil’s close friend. Jolly said: “Kapil was shattered beyond belief. He could not believe the words when he was told about it in the morning and immediately drove down to Chandigarh with his wife. After shifting to Delhi,whenever Kapil was in Chandigarh,he would seldom eat out and preferred eating at his house with his mother and family.”