Australia Teams Up With Cricket Legend Kapil Dev To Tackle Mental Health In Indian Schools

When Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles touched down in New Delhi this week, his schedule included a defence ministers' dialogue, meetings with senior Indian officials, and a visit to a charity run by cricket legend Kapil Dev.

The Deputy Prime Minister stopped in at the KHUSHII Foundation on Monday for the launch of Manobal, a mental health program for teachers and students in government schools across Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. The Australian government is backing it as a formal development partnership.

KHUSHII was founded in 2003 by India's legendary cricketer Kapil Dev, the 1983 World Cup-winning captain. The organisation currently works with more than 21,500 underprivileged children, providing education, meals, medical care and counselling.  

Australia Backs Kapil Dev's Mental Health Push

Manobal is its mental health arm. Rather than placing counsellors in schools, the program trains existing teachers to recognise and respond to psychological distress in their students, using workshops and psycho-education to help build more supportive classrooms.

“Australia is proud to partner with Indian cricket legend Kapil Dev and his charity Kinship for Humanitarian Social and Holistic Intervention, on a new mental health initiative for teachers and students,” Marles posted on social media.

“This Australian Government development partnership will deliver support for government schools in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, benefiting  local communities.”

Kapil Dev said he was grateful for the Australian support. "It's an organisation where we look after each other and look after underprivileged kids," he told reporters. "I'm so grateful that people are getting together and trying to help KHUSHII."

He also used the occasion to speak warmly about the Australia-India relationship more broadly. "The governments are working very hard. What a wonderful job Indian people are doing, and they are looking after our people."

Australia-India Strategic Partnership

The KHUSHII visit sat alongside a fuller diplomatic agenda. Marles had flown in from Singapore, where he attended the 23rd Shangri-La Dialogue, before sitting down with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh for the second Australia-India Defence Ministers' Dialogue. 

The first was held in Australia in October 2025. This second meeting in New Delhi, both sides say, reflects the growing pace of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

“Australia and India are top-tier security partners,” said Marles. 

“Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh and I spoke about turning our deep strategic trust into practical defence cooperation. Peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific rely on us working closely with our partners. Thank you to Minister Singh for hosting me,” added the Deputy Prime Minister