Relive 1983 World Cup joy at Bhatia museum
Former Indian cricketer Sandeep Patil donates poster received after landmark triumph to latest collection
The Shyam Bhatia cricket museum will soon exhibit indoor cricket memorabilia and a few precious personal items from Indian cricketers who won their country’s maiden World Cup back in 1983.
Speaking to Gulf News, Bhatia, who invited the Indian indoor team that participated in the recent World Indoor Cricket Federation World Cup to his museum, said: “I am happy that Dubai has staged the indoor world Cup at the Insportz. The Indoor World Cup has a rich tradition of over a decade and soon items from indoor cricket will be part of this museum. The India indoor team visiting the museum with India’s top batsman Sandeep Patil as brand ambassador will be displayed too.”
Patil, who was impressed with Bhatia’s collections, wrote in the museum’s visitors book: “I have heard of seven wonders of the world but today I saw the eighth wonder at my friend Shyam Bhatia’s amazing cricket collections.”
Patil, who was part of the 1983 World Cup winning team, presented Bhatia with a poster he received in England soon after the World Cup triumph. Bhatia was gifted the poster when he flew in to attend the announcement on the making of the movie on India’s historic 1983 World Cup victory.
Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh will be donning the role of Kapil Dev, who captained the Indian team during the 1983 World Cup.
Among of pictures his picture Bhatia’s collection in the museum is along with the Indian players when they won the World Cup in 1983 at Lord’s. “As most of the World Cup-winning cricketers are very well known to me, I could join them for the reunion of the 1983 World Cup winning team in Mumbai last week during the launch of the film titled 1983 to be directed by Kabir Khan,” he said.
Ranveer Singh, who was presented Bhatia’s book Portraits of the Game, said that he was born only two years after India won the World Cup but grew up listening to tales of the 1983 World Cup triumph.