1983 World Cup: ‘Kapil Dev’s 175 remains the greatest century I have ever seen’ – Sunil Gavaskar | Cricket News – Times of India

Sunil Gavaskar was one of the elders of the Indian squad at the 1983 World Cup. A veteran of playing on and mastering English conditions, the legendary opener was still to adjust to the demands of limited-overs batting. Yet, his was the voice of experience and sanity in a young ensemble of cricketers led by Kapil Dev.
In an exclusive interview with TOI, the Little Master tells us what being a member of a World Cup-winning team meant to him.
Excerpts:
You have achieved so much in a glorious, epic career. Where does the ’83 World Cup win rank for you?
The World Cup win is the greatest moment of my cricketing career. The high from that moment is still exhilarating and to be a small part of an achievement that gave the country so much joy is something to cherish always.

How good were the chances you think the Indian team had when the side departed for the World Cup?
The expectations must not have been very high considering that you had two poor World Cups behind you. Unlike the previous two editions, this time we were a bit more confident of doing better as we had a balanced team. The win in Berbice against the undisputed world champions in April (series in the West Indies) had given the team a great vitamin boost. Then when we beat them again in the opening game, the confidence went up several notches but we knew we were in a group that had the Australians too so it was not going to be easy.
Your own personal form wasn’t great but as a senior player, your role must have been crucial…
My performance in that tournament was abysmal like in the earlier editions as I simply hadn’t mentally adjusted to the requirements of limited-overs batting. We had a young captain and the seniors in the team especially Mohinder, Kirmani and Madan Lal were magnificent in the manner in which they gave him the guidance whenever he asked or even sometimes when he didn’t.

Can you describe Kapil Dev’s overall show in that tournament? What memories do you have of that magical knock of 175 against Zimbabwe?
Kapil’s performances with both bat and ball were dazzling to say the least. Not to forget his catch of Viv Richards in the final. His captaincy was dynamic, exactly what the format required and his ready smile even when a player dropped a catch or mis-fielded makes him the original Captain Cool. That knock of 175 still remains the greatest one-day century I have seen and I say this with no disrespect to the other match-winning hundreds scored by our boys after that too.
What was the mood in the dressing room after you guys were bowled out for 183 in the final?
We were obviously a bit disappointed that we hadn’t got more runs on the board. But when we were leaving the change room to defend that total, Kapil told us that we had done very well to get to the finals and we should go out and enjoy the occasion. I chipped in with ‘Chalo jawaano, jaake ladenge!’ and then when Ballu (Sandhu) bowled that magic ball to Greenidge, it started our and Indian cricket’s tryst with sporting history.

A lot of the West Indian players of that era are close to you. They must have been hurting badly after the loss. It must still rankle them…
Yes, even today the big boys like Clive Lloyd, Viv Richards are upset at the missed chance to have a hattrick of World Cup wins. But they also are sporting enough to acknowledge that India took their chances well that day and so won.
Can you recall any anecdotes from that World Cup campaign?
That was a happy team and so there was plenty of fun and laughter around. It’s so tough to remember one anecdote from many, but the banter between Sandeep Patil and Ballu about their fielding, weight used to be the one the guys laughed at the most. I must say that banter still continues to this day.
Can you recall the emotions that went through your mind after that triumph?
It’s hard to put in words what those moments after the win felt like. It would have made a great advert for toothpaste as everybody around us were laughing and smiling and to see that was simply heart-lifting.

Can we say that the victory changed the landscape of Indian cricket forever? Perhaps it also earned us respect as a limited overs side…
The win was a seminal moment in Indian cricket. Even the administrators got confident enough to challenge the bossing around by England and managed to change the venue of the next edition to India, and now it’s truly a World Cup with all countries getting a chance to host it.
Hopefully, the same will happen with the World Test Championship and the next finals will be in a different country. When the cycle is announced, it says the finals will be at Lord’s, but the moment England fail to qualify, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) changes it to another venue as we have seen with the last two editions.

(AI image)