The 1985 World Series side could have beaten Virat Kohli’s men, feels Ravi Shastri
Ravi Shastri has stated that the 1985 World Series side had the right combination of youth and experience and even could have beaten the current Indian side. He further added that New Zealand could be named as the strongest competitors in the Championship after runners-up Pakistan.
Unlike the 1983 World Cup final in which India had a little chance of defending 183 in 60 overs, in 1985 Benson and Hedges World Championship of Cricket, India were utterly dominant. Led by Sunil Gavaskar, with an inspired bunch of young and experienced cricketers, India beat Pakistan in a convincing way in Melbourne to win the title. 35 years since the historic victory, Ravi Shastri, who was a part of the brigade, stated that the 1985 team could have beaten the 2020 team too.
"The 1985 team, if you compare man to man with the '83 squad, I'd say the former had the correct balance of youth and experience. It was a stronger team. (Not just that) the team was one of the strongest of all times," Shastri said in a Facebook live interaction on Tuesday, reported Sportstar.
"It could have well beaten Virat's team, no doubt about that. It could have beaten any team. Many people thought it (the 1983 World Cup win) was a one-off. But the boys were excellent in 1985, with Sunny (Sunil Gavaskar) leading from the front,” the former Indian all-rounder added.
While Shastri and Javed Miandad's on-field rivalry had seen a lot of fine chapters beforehand, it reached the pinnacle when it became a straight shoot-out for the Audi. Shastri admitted that Miandad, who was Pakistan skipper back then, had his eyes on the car but he was not ready to let it go. He has also added that not only Pakistan, New Zealand also had a great chance of winning the tournament.
“He tried to get it. But honestly, Javed would have never won it. He would try to get under your skin on the field. New Zealand were a fantastic team. They might not have the superstars but they are always a team known for punching much above their weights. We had to play our A game in the semifinals to beat them,” he added.