Kapil Dev raising the cup is my favourite memory of 1983 World Cup, says Sunil Gavaskar
Sunil Gavaskar has stated that Kapil Dev lifting cup above his head in the Lords’ balcony is his favourite memory of the 1983 World Cup, which India won despite being the underdogs. Gavaskar finished it as the batsman of the tournament whereas all-rounder Kapil Dev was the skipper of the side.
West Indies was the most dominant side in the 70s and the 80s in the cricketing world as they had won the inaugural World Cup in 1975 and the one after that. Nobody had given India a chance to win the 1983 edition of the showpiece event before the side stunned everyone. Sunil Gavaskar was an integral part of the side and reckons that Kapil Dev lifting the trophy is his favourite memory of the tournament.
“My favourite is that of Kapil raising the cup above his head and showing it to the thousands of Indian supporters who had gathered below the balcony,” he said, reported TNN.
India were bowled for 183 runs and it was expected to be a cakewalk for the West Indies. However, the then defending champions lost their openers cheaply followed by Vivian Richards' wicket, which turned out to be the turning point of the match, as pointed out by Gavaskar.
“Yes, that was definitely the turning point. Viv was a match winner without parallel and after getting his wicket we felt we were in with a chance,” he reckoned.
Australia player Kim Hughes was the only one who surprisingly predicted that India would win the competition even before it started. However, the legendary batsman did not fail to recognise the fact that many people termed India’s win back then as a fluke.
“It is understandable that many people thought that our win in 1983 was a fluke. After all, India's performances in the earlier editions of the World Cup wasn't great. The West Indies were such a formidable team that even now many cannot believe they could not overhaul our small total in the final,” expressed the 69-year-old.
“Again, you must ask Kim why he felt we were the dark horses. Surely he must have seen something about the team, and not just because of the colour of our skin,” he added.
Coming back to the upcoming World Cup starting May 30, Gavaskar was all praise for the Virat Kohli-led team.
“There are many (plus points for the current team). They have got the best all-format batsman in the game, a fantastic opening pair, the best white-ball bowler in the world and two crafty young spinners. They have also got great self-belief,” he explained.
The West Indies have gone ahead with their strongest squad after a long time after the change in the management. Gavaskar felt that the Jason Holder-led team can go on to cause quite a few upsets.Â
“They can cause more than an upset or two in this World Cup,” he said.
Former Australia captain Steve Smith and vice-captain David Warner will make a return to the Australian squad for the first time after their 12 month ban. The Australian side clearly missed them for a major part of the 12 months but went on to defeat India and Pakistan in an away series right before the quadrennial event. The Kangaroos will be further bolstered by the duo’s return and even Gavaskar agreed.
“They (Smith and Warner) are both world-class players and both will be eager to make up for the time they were away from international cricket. So the Aussies will be a team to watch out for,” he signed off.
