Page 12 - Seniors Toady March 2020

My abiding memory of that match was a placard batsmen, there seemed no way India could win.
in the stands that read, ``Kapil Eats Botham For Not even when Balwinder Sandhu got Gordon
Breakfast.’’ The two great allrounders were always Greenidge early with a banana inswinger.
vying for honours when they competed against Greenidge was replaced by ‘Boss’ Viv Richards
each other, but this time it was clear who had come who looked in a mean mood and from the manner
out on top. in which he started hitting boundaries all around,
India were now in the final. Unbelievable but it appeared the match would be over in double

true. By now, people of Indian origin in England quick time. Then, against the run of play, came the
had been roused into a frenzy. Crowds at the semi- turning point.
final resembled what one would seen in Bombay Richards tried to hit Madan Lal out of the ground,
or Calcutta. It was the same at Lord’s on June skied the ball to deep mid-wicket where Kapil
25, 1983 when Kapil’s team met the mighty West Dev, running backward almost 20-25 yards, took
Indies. a fantastic catch. This was just the inspiration the
I reached late for this match too, though not Indian team needed.

in trying to save money: In fact to the contrary. With Richards gone, the West Indies started
Having overslept a bit, I thought I’d take a cab to struggling. Wickets began falling regularly,
Lord’s instead of going by underground rail since leading to a collapse that was totally unexpected:
this entailed a changing a couple of lines. The cab by cricket fans anywhere, the West Indies team,
cost a bomb, and also highlighted that the efficacy and I dare say, the Indian team too.
of underground rail in London was unchallenged. When the last wicket fell, the crowd, largely
Rushing past Grace Gates, I heard a roar and India, erupted. Dhols came out, and groups doing
someone yelling “Gavaskar is out.’’ The Stewards the bhangra took over the Lord’s ground to honour
were stodgy, not appreciating my haste. A couple the Indian team in the dressing room balcony.

of days earlier, when I had gone to collect my India had turned the world upside down. Cricket
accreditation for the final, one had said to another, was never going to be the same again. Not in India,
“Now we have Gandhi coming to Lord’s’’’’. not anywhere else.
This was obviously inspired by the huge success
of Sir Richard Attenborough’s film which made
the Mahatma a household name in the western
world, but was nonetheless condescending. I

asked them curtly to hurry up since I was losing
vital minutes of the match.
Running up the staircase to the press box, I met
former Australian captain and commentator
Richie Benaud. ``Odds of 66-1 still if you want
to bet on India,’’ he said smilingly. I was tempted
fleetingly. But not being a gambling man, and
given the fact that the opponents were West Indies,
I smiled back in return and ran past him. By the

time the Indian innings ended, I admired my own
smartness at not having taken the wager. India
were bowled out for a very modest 183. Well done
in reaching this far, but surely the trophy winners
will be West Indies.
Twice champion with an array of devastating India had turned the world upside down and cricket would
never be the same again

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