Kapil’s Devils reunite

By P.L. Aravind

Bengaluru

June 3: It is a moment that has been written in golden words in Indian cricketing history. When Kapil’s Devils lifted the 1983 World Cup at the Lord’s, a new era came into existence.

On Tuesday, it was a nostalgic moment for some of the stars who scripted history, as the Indian cricket board and UB Group announced the felicitation for the World Cup heroes on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of their triumph.

With Kapil Dev and Sunil Gavaskar – the two greatest cricketers India has produced – present on the occasion, there was never lack of anecdotes. But Sunny was all praise for Kapil, for leading the side from the front as captain.

"Kapil’s 175 against Zimbabwe won us the match and his catch of Vivian Richards won us the title," reminisced the little master. Meanwhile, Gavaskar shared one of the most well kept secrets in Indian cricket: where is the ball that won the title for the Indians?

"The moment the ball came towards me I was looking to stop a leg-bye. But the umpire lifted the finger and I ran with the ball in my hand. It was one of my fastest sprints in the World Cup.

"It’s the ball on which I have got autographs of a few people and it is one of the biggest mementos of the World Cup."

Meanwhile, Kapil recalled the support from his team, "Being a captain was never a pressure. We were winning matches and everyone was giving his suggestion," he said.

For the players this is a chance to relive past glory, with the BCCI holding a felicitation ceremony for the players on June 22 in Delhi.

The ‘83 team will then travel to Lord’s for a big bash on June 25.