Indians hail ‘Kapil Devils’
New Delhi – “First love cannot be forgotten,” is how one member of Kapil Dev’s team describes India’s debut cricket World Cup win in 1983 – a victory that aroused passions so fierce they would change the game forever.
When “Kapil Devils” stunned the West Indies at Lord’s, the traditional home of cricket, it triggered an obsession with the sport in India and created its biggest market – ultimately making India’s board the richest and most powerful in the world.
India was previously a hockey-loving nation, owing to their five Olympic gold medals between 1948 and 1980. But on 25 June 1983, India’s cricketers became world-beaters.
Nobody saw the victory coming, after India came into the oneday tournament with just one win – against East Africa – in the previous two editions.
“We never, ever imagined we would reach the quarterfinal or the knockout stage,” Syed Kirmani, the team’s flamboyant wicketkeeper-batsman, said.
“A few of my colleagues in that team had expressed themselves that ‘we are going to have fun, enjoy ourselves and that’s it’.
“But we laid a very strong foundation by winning the Cup. It is like the first love cannot be forgotten. After 37 years have gone, people still remember our victory.”
He added: “The younger generation are also keen to know when we won the first World Cup and who were the players. Oh God, it is a fantastic, nostalgic feeling.”
India’s run to the title is soon to get the Bollywood treatment, with popular actor Ranveer Singh playing Dev.
MS Dhoni later led India to the inaugural Twenty20 World Cup title in 2007 and their second ODI world trophy in 2011, but the victory in England will always remain a watershed moment.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India is now the wealthiest association in the game and players like Sunil Gavaskar, part of the 1983 team, Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli have been instrumental in taking Indian cricket to greater heights.
“The board started getting commercial benefits only after the World Cup win and for us it was a game-changer,” Sunil Valson, who was part of the 14-member squad, recalled.
“Understand nowadays whenever the Indian team goes for a World Cup the expectations are so high on them. But in ‘83 nobody expected it, but the way we played was just amazing.”