Ayaz Memon looks back at the magical, surreal summer that ended with Kapil Dev raising aloft the World Cup. From cricinfo:
Show me a person who gave Kapil Dev’s team any chance of winning the 1983 World Cup: I will show you a liar and an opportunist.
The story of how David Frith, then editor of Wisden Cricket Monthly, had to literally eat his words after he wrote India off as no-hopers has been told far too often to be repeated here, yet is symbolic of the utter disdain with which the Indian cricket team was viewed before the tournament. To paraphrase Winston Churchill, the situation was “hopeless, but not serious.”
My own belief in the Indian team’s prospects, too, tended towards zero. True, there had been some glimpses of excellence when Kapil Dev’s team beat mighty West Indies at Berbice in a one day game preceding the 1983 tournament, but India’s track record in one-day cricket, and especially in the two previous World Cups, had been pathetic to say the least.
[Photo: The catch that changed cricket: Kapil is mobbed by happy spectators after the dismissal of Richards in the final]
Above, Kapil Dev lifting the trophy at Lords, after beating West Indies to win the Prudential World Cup in 1983.
Some thought a World Cup could be won by fluke: Kapil
Kapil Dev speaks to The Telegraph, Calcutta, in the lead-up to the June 25 celebrations at Lord’s. Excerpts:
Q Clearly, this is an emotional time for you…
A (Laughs) Basically, I’m an emotional person… I’m particularly looking forward to the reunion at Lord’s… We’ll be reminiscing, cracking jokes… Pulling each other’s leg.
Well, what could happen on the 25th?
Quite a few (nine, really) of us are 50-plus and, so, I expect a lot of leg-pulling… Generally, I could be a target … I’ll be one of the team, my days of captaincy have gone… (Krishnamachari) Srikkanth and (Sandeep) Patil would talk a lot at team meetings, let’s see whether that has changed… Sunil (Gavaskar) has a great sense of humour and he could lighten up things… Dilip (Vengsarkar) wouldn’t say much at team meetings, but I don’t know whether he’ll be as quiet now when we return to the Lord’s dressing room… Kirti (Azad) would joke a lot and I remember Yashpal (Sharma) knew everything about everybody… Basically, mazza aye ga (It’ll be fun).
That catch, that inswinger
India were booked at 66:1 before the 1983 World Cup started. Then they beat West Indies, overcame a hiccup against Zimbabwe, brushed aside Australia, and beat England in the semi-final to set up a final against the two-time defending champions. Having lost the toss, India batted first, making 183, and that paltry score turned out to be a winning one as West Indies collapsed for 140, the greatest upset in the history of the World Cup. Cricinfo picks out five crucial moments from the final.
Lords of ’83: Men who won India the Cup of Joy
CNN-IBN celebrates and honours the men who scripted history for Indian cricket on a special show Lords of ’83.
The show conducted by CNN-IBN editor-in-chief Rajdeep Sardesai saw the legends candidly recall the big moment -- both on the field and off it. From the team’s strategy to who got to drink the most champagne to who got the maximum adulation from female fans, the show revisited some of the unseen, unheard of times.
The panel comprised Kapil Dev, the captain of that World Cup winning team; Sunil Gavaskar, an incomparable batsman; Balwinder Singh Sandhu, the man who started it all by bowling out Gordon Grenidge; Syed Kirmani, the finest wicketkeeper India has ever seen; Yashpal Sharma, one of the most astounding heroes of the ’83 triumph and the charismatic Sandeep Patil.
Read the story and watch the video here:
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