On the 38th anniversary of Team India’s 1983 World Cup win, the Kapil Dev-led side recalled the triumphant journey in the UK when they defeated West Indies at teh iconic Lord’s with NDTV. During the chat, the squad highlighted key moments such as Kapil Dev’s running backward catch to send back Viv Richards in the final and Balvinder Sandhu’s ‘ball of the century to Gordon Greenidge that played a pivotal role in India winning their maiden World Cup trophy.
Opening batsman Kris Srikkanth recalled the moment which gave some morale boost to the team that led to an unforgettable journey. Srikkanth said that it was Kapil Dev’s “tremendous speech” in the dressing room that filled the whole squad with the belief that they could go the distance in the tournament in England.
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As per the quotes in NDTV, Kris Srikkanth recalled, “On the eve of our first match against the West Indies, our captain (Kapil Dev) gave a tremendous speech. He said guys when we can beat West Indies, why not once more? Everyone in the dressing room just started looking at each other. But the sense of determination, the sense of aggression, the sense of self-belief, and the sense of self-confidence which Kapil brought along with guys like Jimmy Amarnath, etc.”
Balvinder Sandhu, who knocked over Gordon Greenidge in the memorable final, said that Kapil Dev’s catch where he ran backwards to dismiss Viv Richards tuned the game in India’s favor.
Former fast bowler recalled, “With due respect to every member in our side, no one except Kapil could have taken that catch. He judges the ball so well that even if it was a yard or two away from him, he would’ve still taken it with ease.”
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In the final, India got bundled out for a meager score of 183 with Srikkanth being the top scorer with a knock of 38. Defending 183 runs, Madan Lal and Mohinder Amarnath picked up three wickets apiece to help India to restrict the defending champions for 140 and lift their maiden World Cup trophy.
