India’s limited-overs cricket received a shot in the arm when the team, dubbed ‘Kapil’s Devils’, marched to a sensational World Cup triumph at Lord’s in 1983. It set off a belief among the other teams that they, too, can dream of winning cricket’s showpiece event.
Sandeep Patil, member of the 1983 squad, looks back at the memorable World Cup campaign.
Have you gotten bored with every passing celebration, or how do you reinvent what all of you achieved 40 years ago?
It’s really surprising that 40 years down the line, we still keep meeting and enjoying every time we meet. The best part about the ’83 team is that we never felt that it had been 40 years; we just felt like it happened yesterday. It’s such a great occasion to meet all the players from 1983. We certainly miss the late Yashpal, the backbone of the ’83 team, but reliving those moments is something fantastic.
Those three weeks in the summer of 1983 were the only time the 15 of you were together for some time. Thereafter, what’s been the longest time you’ve all been together?
I think today [2023 Sportstar Aces Awards] we are meeting after one year. Last year, we met on June 25 in Delhi, and now the start of 2023 is good. I don’t know how long we are going to keep meeting, but whenever we meet, we talk about those golden days. We look forward to it. I always look forward to it. I was in Shimla with my wife, but when I came to know that this function [Aces Awards] had been organised by The Hindu, I said, ‘forget about Shimla; I have to be here. I came here only for the function and am going back to Shimla tomorrow.
READ | 1983 Cricket World Cup Special, Prudential World Cup
40 years down the line, how do you look at the achievement? Not just with regard to Indian cricket but to the Indian psyche in general?
We never talk about it. The media, the BCCI, and the cricketing world talk about it, and we feel good. According to me, what changed was Ajit Wadekar’s series triumphs in England and the West Indies in 1971. That was the first major victory for Indian cricket, followed by ’83. It changed a lot of things. The money came in. The belief: Indian cricketers started believing they could do it. So it was actually the start of a new era.
On a lighter note, do you think all of you should get royalty since the money started coming into Indian cricket only after the 1983 World Cup win?
No, no. Never. We have never discussed money. We were very happy with what we got. For us, the most important thing was to represent our country and win the most matches. It so happened that we not only won a few matches but also the World Cup. It was a major achievement in the history of Indian cricket.
How do you look at the 2011 World Cup victory, and when do you think India can end the drought of an ICC title?
It will come. You have to be consistent. We, Kapil’s Devils, did it first, followed by Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s team. That took a long time since our achievement. I think it’s coming. Hopefully, very soon.
What’s the plan for the rest of the year?
We leave it to Sunil (Gavaskar), Kapil (Dev), and Kirti (Azad), the master planners of the 1983 team. The planning is great now. During the tournament, there was no planning.
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