Dubai: For the legendary Kapil Dev, it must have been a huge sense of déjà vu as he lifted the Prudential Cricket World Cup trophy at the Lord’s and kissed it on Saturday — reminding him of the first time in 1983.
Kapil, who was on a tour of United States and Canada with Dubai-based entrepreneur Ajay Sethi for the launch of the coffee table book ‘We the Sikhs’ flew into London and visited the Lord’s.
The Lord’s Cricket Ground immediately tweeted: “@therealkapildev was reunited with the Prudential Cup at Lord’s, the trophy won by India in the 1983 @cricketworldcup.”
India had stunned the world in 1983 by reaching the final of the third edition of the World Cup.
The West Indies won the first two editions in 1975 and 1979 World Cups and when India were bowled out for a meagre 183 with more than six overs to spare against the West Indies, none expected Kapil to lift the trophy at this balcony.
What followed, of course, is a part of Indian cricketing folklore. The sight of the Indian team dashing back to the pavilion soon after Mohinder Amarnath trapped Michael Holding's leg before is a sight to be etched forever in the memory.
Kapil even posed with a Lord’s ground Tour group — much to the delight of everyone in the group. The only difference between then and now was that of the picture of a proudly smiling Kapil was the jet black hair in 1983 which has gone on to become grey. Thirty six years have passed since India’s ‘83 World Cup triumph that changed the history of Indian cricket and even the popularity of the game globally.
As England and Wales gets ready to host the 2019 Cricket World Cup after 20 years since 1999, Kapil was as optimistic as ever about who could be the next winner. “To win in England you do need a stroke of luck, and play as a team. I hope India go all the way,” he replied in a recent interview with Gulf News.
