Hi, Let some 'purists' of cricket decribe to us the exeprience of listening to 1983 world cup cricket finals comentary. I've seen the game only later in espn cricketing memorables. Also tell us about the 175 of Kapil Dev against zimbawe.
The following are excerpts from what he'd then said about the 1983 final: *Memories of June 25, 1983* I was hoping to collect the trophy for the third time in succession and, yes, when that didn't come about I was sort of stunned... That disappointment remains... The team which played better that day won. *Whether the West Indies had been complacent that day* No, we just batted poorly. I presume if India had set us a target of 240 or thereabouts instead of 184, our approach would have been better. Facing a small total, we simply capitulated. *Rating Kapil Dev as captain on a scale of 10* Most definitely nine. He could turn a match on its head, and he proved it at Tunbridge Wells against Zimbabwe. Indeed, if India came back from the dead, it was only due to Kapil. *Amusing some thought a World Cup could be won by fluke: Kapil* - *A TELEGRAPH SPECIAL - THE CAPTAIN'S STORY of 1983* * * Kapil Dev's place in history is assured. The only Indian captain to have lifted the conventional limited overs' World Cup, in 1983, Kapil spoke to *The Telegraph *for around 45 minutes in the lead-up to the June 25 celebrations at Lord's. *The following are 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*. *Today, how do you see the relevance of that World Cup win?* It was important for Indian cricket to have self-belief and the win ensured that in abundance... Till then, the West Indies, England and Australia were the ones who got recognition... Nobody spoke of the other countries in the same breath... Our win showed to the world that Indian cricket had arrived and, to some extent, I believe it helped Pakistan and Sri Lanka move forward in a big way too... Pakistan won the World Cup in 1992 and Sri Lanka four years after that... Our 1983 win started the process of narrowing the difference between the countries seen as established centres of cricket and the rest... Indeed, we showed what courage and self-belief could achieve. *A turning point, then, for Indian cricket...* That and our 1985 World Championship of Cricket win in Australia... Two major titles within two years would've convinced the doubters that the World Cup win was no fluke. *Did that fluke nonsense upset you?* I wouldn't say upset me... I mean, even if some wished to term it that way, we'd still done it... We'd taken home the World Cup... Nobody could erase that from the records... In fact, today, I find it amusing that some people actually thought a World Cup could be won by fluke. *What goes into the making of a world champion team?* Self-belief... Ability... There's no point having talent, though, if you can't perform and it's not put to use... *Like Mohinder 'Jimmy' Amarnath, were you too inspired by dialogues from Sholay?* Look, I've been inspired by different people at different times... For example, I came away inspired after meeting Nelson Mandela... I'm amazed that somebody who spent almost three decades in prison could be so compassionate towards those who'd jailed him... So forgiving... Getting back to your question, no, I didn't get inspired by dialogues such as '*jo dar gaya, samjho mar gaya'*, but that dialogue summed up our approach... Being fearless is something I learnt from my parents... *When did you, as captain, start believing that your team could do it?* (*Pauses*) After the second match against Zimbabwe, at Tunbridge Wells, when we recovered from five down for 17 to win by 31 runs... We won the next three matches (including the semis and the final)... I must confess I'd been worried about the semis against England as they'd looked the most professional team. *You haven't mentioned your own contribution (unbeaten 175) at Tunbridge Wells...* I couldn't do anything wrong that day and thank God for giving me the strength to achieve what I did... Such innings probably happen once in somebody's lifetime... Yes, I guess there was a certain amount of desperation in the manner of my playing that day. *Your thoughts on the morning of the final?* Actually, I'd been somewhat upset on seeing a significant amount of grass on the Lord's wicket... Out of disgust, I even told some of my teammates that the conditions just weren't fair... The state of the wicket also put paid to all the planning we'd done the previous day. .. Soon enough, though, I realised that we had to make the best of the conditions... We didn't have a choice... Then, with the ball swinging like nobody's business, we felt we'd definitely be in with more than a shout that afternoon. We had a ball, as it turned out. *Not many saw 183 as a winning total. What did you tell the team at the break?* Not much, except that we'd already got 183 and the West Indies had to get those runs... I knew that being disciplined with the ball would bear fruit and we had the bowlers to exploit those conditions... Of course, I did tell the players that our lives could change in the next 60 overs... That we had to put the best foot forward... I didn't have to give a speech, for the team was high on motivation... I sensed Roger (Binny) could be our trumpcard and that Jimmy's experience would be invaluable... I wasn't off the mark. *What, for you, was the turning point?* When Jeffrey Dujon got out (119 for seven, bowled by Amarnath)... Wickets kept falling and, yes, the heart began to beat faster... And faster... It was time to stop dreaming and to complete the job... Once Dujon got out, I felt the Cup was ours and if the West Indies could pull it off from there then they deserved to win. *Can you relive those first few moments back in the dressing room?* It's difficult to accurately remember everything that happened... We hugged each other, kissed each other... You know, when good things happen, you don't need to say much... Once out on the balcony we tried to catch the eye of near and dear ones who'd gathered on the ground below... (*Emotionally*) Those first few minutes were quite extraordinary and, at times, it seems the World Cup was won just yesterday. *Did Clive Lloyd congratulate you without reservations?* He did, absolutely... Clive's one of the nicest of people and he said "well done, you deserved to win"... I think I said 'sorry' that we'd denied him a hattrick of wins... I remember we picked up some of the champagne in the West Indies dressing room on our way out from there... We'd quietly stocked some in our dressing room too! *Honestly, what had been your thoughts when the team landed in England?* I wanted to enjoy the tournament... Have fun, after all, we'd never done anything in the two earlier editions... However, having beaten the West Indies in the West Indies (in Berbice) earlier that year, we had some confidence. *The start was quite incredible — defeating the West Indies in the very first match (at Old Trafford, by 34 runs)...* It was... That win showed that we did have potential and, in a small way, one started to look at first qualifying for the semis and, then, going to the summit. The self-belief began to take root. *Kim Hughes had tipped India as the dark horse. Did that inspire you all?* (*Laughs*) The fact is we'd been no horse at all! Nobody had given us a chance and that comment did motivate. *How much of your captaincy was instinctive?* Look, you do plan, but things can change every few overs... We didn't plan to score only 183 but, once we did, it was in our hands to make them sweat for every run... *What was your approach in the dressing room, which had quite a few players senior to you?* I told the players that while I was their captain in the dressing room and on the field, everybody was my captain outside the dressing room and outside the field... I was very raw then, just past 24, and could've made mistakes... I didn't mean to offend anybody at any time, but if I inadvertently did, I hope they'll understand... If I had an agenda, it was to get the best out of the team... Nothing more... I probably made a few mistakes, but the experience will remain very special. *Did you seek Gavaskar's advice now and then?* Sunny, as you know, doesn't say much of his own accord... You've got to go to him and he'll then open up... Our approach to the game was different, but it's not that we didn't talk cricket... Generally, you need advice when the going is tough, not otherwise. *What did you learn from that World Cup?* Learnt to be more humble... The victory was my team's, not mine... What also got reinforced is that nobody is bigger than his team and the game. *Is there something for the present generation of cricketers to learn?* Well, that nobody is bigger than the game... That, in a team sport, there's no space for personal egos... The bigger the achievement, the more humble you must be... I remember the saying that 'the tree which bears more fruit is the one which bends more'... *Finally, do you envy Ricky Ponting, who has won two World Cups as captain and has been a member of the winning XI on the last three occasions?* (*Laughs*) No... Why should I? Captains who've been able to get the best out of their players deserve credit... Imran (Khan) did a great job in 1992... More marks to him as leading Pakistan is the most difficult job... Then, in 1996, Arjuna Ranatunga was outstanding... And, how can one forget Clive, who won the first two World Cups? He got the best out of players who came from different island-nations. *KAPIL'S TOP 3 MOMENTS* 1. Balwinder Singh Sandhu bowling Gordon Greenidge in the final, at Lord's, with probably the ball of the 1983 World Cup. *2.* Mohinder Amarnath bowling Jeffrey Dujon in the final. *3. *Kirti Azad bowling Ian Botham in the semi-finals, at Old Trafford. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth?hl=en-GB -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
