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Meet the real ‘heroes’ of 1983 who changed the fortunes of cricket in India

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 It has been almost four decades since the 1983 World Cup, but even today the historic final between India and West Indies continues to hold a special place in the hearts of Indian cricket fans.

Kapil Dev’s running catch to dismiss Sir Viv Richards is still etched in the memories of the generation that cheered India through the nail-biter of a final at Lord’s on June 25, 1983.

The victory was important in many ways. It scripted a new era for Indian cricket. Up against Clive Lloyd’s mighty West Indies side and with just 183 runs to defend, Kapil’s Devils did the impossible by delivering a memorable performance to lift the prestigious trophy.

Why was beating the West Indies no joke back then?

During ’80s, the West Indies were an invincible side and they were title contenders whenever they used to take part in any World Championships. In that period, even the best batters of the world would be wary of facing the deadly West Indies bowlers, who used to play with real aggression.

They won the 1975 and 1979 World Cups and their domination made teams believe that there is one West Indies and then there are the rest of the sides in the world.

The 1983 World Cup was expected to follow similar lines, with the Windies eyeing a hat-trick of titles. But on June 25, the Kapil Dev-led side scripted history and convincingly compelled the rest of the world to believe that teams from Asia can lay their hands on the trophy as well.

After the historic feat, the Indian cricket team have won two more world titles till date – the 2007 World T20 and the 2011 ODI World Cup – but what Kapil Dev’s team achieved in England towers over all else.

Now, the much-awaited movie ’83’ starring Ranveer Singh and others is all set to be released on Friday. To celebrate the occasion, IANS revisits the 1983 World Cup heroes to find out what they are doing now.

Kapil Dev: He was the captain of the Indian team in 1982-87 and led India to the historic World Cup win. He took that brilliant catch running backwards to dismiss the dangerous-looking Sir Viv Richards in that tournament. The Haryana Hurricane kept playing international cricket till 1994, notching up 434 Test wickets in 131 Test matches, a record broken in 2000 by Courtney Walsh. Later, he served as an India coach. Now he is associated with a TV news channel as a cricket expert and is also a professional golfer. He also has invested in a few restaurants.

Sunil Gavaskar: The ’83 World Cup might not have been his best outing, but the expertise of the living legend did help the team in their campaign to bring home the trophy. After retiring in 1987, he has served as the vice-president of the Mumbai Cricket Association, BCCI interim president, and Chairman of the ICC cricket committee. Today, Gavaskar is counted among the world’s finest cricket commentators. Gavaskar is also a director at the Professional Management Group (PMG).

Mohinder ‘Jimmy’ Amarnath: He was the vice-captain of the World Cup-winning team in 1983 and Man of the Match in both the finals and semi-finals. He picked up three wickets for 12 runs and also scored a crucial 26 in the finals. He later presented a weekly cricket coaching programme on television in the early ’90s, ‘Cricket with Mohinder Amarnath’. Now based out of Goa, Amarnath is a cricket analyst for various news channels.

Krishnamachari Srikkanth: The explosive opener scored the highest (38 runs) in the low-scoring 1983 World Cup final. And he played some good knocks throughout that World Cup. After he hung up his bat in competitive cricket, he coached India A, served as chief India selector, later was an IPL mentor and was also seen commentating on the TNPL. He also penned newspaper columns during IPL 2018 and is running his own business at present.

Balwinder Sandhu: The Mumbai-born pacer had dismissed opener Gordon Greenidge, who was a player of repute in ODIs. He also scored 11 runs and took two wickets in the summit clash. He coached the Mumbai team in the ’90s but was later out of the limelight till the ’83’ team took him on board to coach the actors.

Madan Lal: He took the crucial wickets of Desmond Haynes, Sir Viv Richards and Larry Gomes in the historic final. Following retirement, he coached the UAE team and even the Indian national team for a while. At present, he is a cricket analyst on TV channels and runs a cricket academy at the Siri Fort Sports Complex, New Delhi.

Syed Kirmani: He bagged the award for the best wicket keeper in the 1983 Cricket World Cup and is considered to be one of the best glovemen to have played for India. He starred in the 1985 Bollywood film, ‘Kabhi Ajnabi The’. He also received the 2015 Col C.K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award.

Yashpal Sharma: He was a middle-order batter and also scored the second highest number of runs in the 1983 World Cup. Post-retirement, he became the chief selector for Team India. In 2014, he was appointed head of Delhi’s cricket advisory committee. He passed away earlier this year in July.

Kirti Azad: He was a batter in the 1983 World Cup team and retired from all forms of cricket in 1986. Thereafter, he followed in the footsteps of his father, former Union minister and chief minister of Bihar, Bhagwat Jha Azad, and entered politics. He has served as a Lok Sabha member and recently joined the Trinamool Congress after quitting the Indian National Congress.

Roger Binny: He was an all-rounder who impressed everyone with his bowling performance in the 1983 Cricket World Cup. He also took the highest number of wickets in that tournament. He is at present serving as an office-bearer at the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA).

Ravi Shastri: He was an all-rounder. Later, he became the director of Indian national cricket team in 2014 and later served as its head coach until recently, when Rahul Dravid was given the position.

Dilip Vengsarkar: He was a batter and took over the captaincy from Kapil Dev after the 1987 Cricket World Cup. He runs three cricket academies, two in Mumbai and one in Pune. These academies give cricket training for free to selected players.

Sandeep Patil: He was also a batter in the 1983 World Cup-winning squad. He was subsequently offered a role in the musical romantic drama, ‘Kabhi Ajnabi The’ (1985), which also featured Syed Kirmani and Sachin Tendulkar in a bit role. He coached Team India and the ‘A’ team. He also served as the Kenyan team’s coach for a while and was the chairman of selectors in the BCCI.

Sunil Valson: He was the only player in the squad who did not play a single match in the 1983 World Cup. In recent times, he has served as team manager of the Delhi Capitals IPL team.

P.R. Man Singh: He was the team manager and an integral part of the World Cup victory in 1983. He was the only official to accompany the team to England.

Bollywood

Drishyam 3 Release Date: Will It Be Ajay Devgn Starrer Vs Shah Rukh Khan’s King At The Box Office?

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Ajay Devgn is starring in back-to-back franchise movies. This year, we saw him in Raid 2, Son of Sardaar 2, and De De Pyaar De 2. Next year, he already has Dhamaal 4 lined up, and on Monday, the release date of Drishyam 3 was officially announced. The movie will hit the big screens on October 2, 2026.

Ajay took to Instagram to inform his fans about it. He posted an announcement video and right, “Aakhri hissa baaki hai. In cinemas on 2nd October, 2026 (sic)” Check out the announcement video below…

While the release of Shah Rukh Khan starrer King has not been officially announced, there have been reports that the movie will be releasing during the Gandhi Jayanti weekend. So, will be Ajay Devgn vs Shah Rukh Khan at the box office?

If the clash happens, this won’t be for the first time when Ajay’s film will be clashing SRK’s movie. In 2012, Ajay starrer Son Of Sardaar and SRK’s Jab Tak Hain Jaan had hit the big screens together during Diwali.

Both movies had done well at the box office, but Jab Tak Hai Jaan had collected a bit more than Son of Sardaar. The former minted Rs. 120.87 crore at the box office, the latter collected Rs. 105.10 crore.

We are sure now everyone is keen for the official announcement of King’s release date. For now, all the Holidays have been booked by other films. So, let’s see if King will clash with any movie, or will opt to release on a non-Holiday weekend.

Apart from Ajay, Drishyam 3 also stars Tabu and Shriya Saran. The part 2 also featured Akshaye Khanna, but in the announcement video his name is not mentioned.

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Jannat Zubair and Elvish Yadav meet Messi, call it an ‘amazing day’

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Mumbai, Dec 15: As Messi fever grips the entire country, ‘Laughter Chefs season 3’ contestants Jannat Zubair and Elvish Yadav also got the rare opportunity to meet the ‘G.O.A.T’.

Sharing glimpses of the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity on social media, Jannat and Elvish dropped a joint post that read, “We met Messi!! What an amazing day (Sparkles emoji) Welcome to India 🇮🇳 So much love (red heart emoji) Special Thanks To @officialpuch.ai (Smiling face and red heart emoji) (Sic).”

Messi landed in Mumbai on Sunday as part of his India tour. However, he encountered an embarrassing situation in Kolkata, where he ended up spending only 20 minutes, despite a promised time of 2 hours.

The footballer was forced to leave early as the situation at the Salt Lake stadium turned unpredictable after political and influential figures tried hijacking the event, irking fans, who did not get a chance to see the football player even after paying thousands on tickets.

After Kolkata, Messi made a stop in Hyderabad and then Mumbai as part of his itinerary.

During his Mumbai visit, many bigwigs from Bollywood met the legendary footballer.

B-town beauty, Kareena Kapoor Khan, took her two boys, Taimur and Jeh, to meet Messi. Bebo was seen coming out of the Wankhede Stadium after meeting the footballer on Sunday.

While Kareena was dressed sharply in formals, her sons were seen wearing football jerseys. While Taimur wore the jersey with Messi’s name on it, Jeh was seen in a jersey with Argentina’s name.

Actress Shilpa Shetty also took her son, Viaan-Raj Kundra to meet the football legend at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday.

After coming out of the stadium following the meet, Shilpa told the media stationed outside the venue, “It was very nice. Iska (Viaan) ka toh dream poora ho gaya (Viaan’s dream has been fulfilled)”.

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Celebrate Rajinikanth’s 75th Birthday: Evergreen Films Of Superstar Rajini To Stream On OTT Platform

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As India celebrates Rajinikanth’s 75th birthday, fans across the world are revisiting the timeless charm, unmatched screen presence, and iconic dialogues that have made him a living legend. Superstar Rajinikanth is fondly known as Thalaivar. The legendary actor is not just a superstar; he is a phenomenon who has shaped Indian cinema for nearly five decades. Rajnikanth’s real name is Shivaji Rao Gaikwad, who was born on December 12, 1950, in a Marathi family in Bengaluru, Mysore State (present-day Karnataka). He has acted in over 170 films across various languages including: Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, and Bengali.

The actor is professionally known as Rajinikanth. The Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan and Dadasaheb Phalke Award nominee actor received his iconic name from legendary director K. Balachander. The legendary director mentored him and suggested the name Rajinikanth for his mass fan following. Rajinikanth has turned 75 on Friday, December 12, 2025. To honour his legacy, let’s take a look at some of his evergreen films available on OTT platforms, perfect for a nostalgic binge.

Enthiran is the sci-fi spectacle that revolutionised Indian cinema. The films’ visual effects brought Rajinikanth in a double role as Dr. Vaseegaran and the unforgettable Chitti, the robot. His performance as the antagonist robot remains iconic. Even today, Enthiran continues to be a benchmark for Indian science fiction. The film was released in 2010, and it was the most expensive Indian film at the time of its release. The film received an overwhelming response, and it emerged as the highest-grossing Indian film of 2010 and won two National Film Awards in the categories of Best Special Effects and Best Production Design. The music of the film was composed by A.R. Rahman.

Another blockbuster film of Rajinikanth is Sivaji The Boss, which is helmed by S. Shankar. Sivaji is a visually grand entertainer that narrates the story of an NRI fighting corruption, which struck a chord with audiences, while Rajini’s charismatic performance and stylish transformation in “Oru Koodai Sunlight” became instant fan favourites. The film remains a must-watch for its powerful message and mass sequences. The film emerged as one of the highest-grossing Indian films at its release and won a National Award in the category of Best Special Effects. The music of the film was composed by A. R. Rahman.

Baashha remains one of Rajinikanth’s most celebrated blockbusters. The film, known for its gripping storyline and the iconic dialogue “Naan oru thadava sonna… nooru thadava sonna madhiri,” showcases Rajini in a dual shade of a calm, humble auto driver by day and a fierce don with a past. Even today, Baashha is widely considered the film that defined Rajinikanth’s superstar aura.

In Kabali, Rajinikanth shed his larger-than-life image and delivered a more grounded, emotional performance. The film narrates the story of an aging gangster searching for his family, bringing a new depth to his acting repertoire. With stylish action and soulful storytelling, Kabali is a top pick for serious cinema lovers.

Kaala is an action-drama film directed by Pa. Ranjith. The film is set in the heart of Dharavi and explores themes of power, identity, and justice. Rajini’s portrayal of a charismatic leader of the oppressed added another dimension to his legacy. The film is appreciated for its socio-political undertones and raw cinematic mood.

Rajinikanth never fails to surprise his fans with his different looks and styles. In Jailer, you will definitely see the charismatic look, a lot of action sequences, and his powerful dialogue delivery, which will definitely keep you hooked to the edge of your seat till the end. The movie was released in 2023 and emerged as the highest-grossing Tamil film of 2023, the sixth highest-grossing Indian film of 2023, and the second highest-grossing Tamil film of all time. The music of the film is composed by Anirudh Ravichandran.

Petta is a Tamil-language action drama film in which Rajinikanth plays the role of Kaali, a mysterious, older man who takes a job as a college hostel warden, but is secretly a powerful figure. The film emerged as one of the highest-grossing Tamil films of all time and the second-highest-grossing Tamil film of 2019.

Apoorva Raagangal is Rajinikanth’s debut film. The film is directed by his mentor K Balachander, in which he played the role of the abusive ex-husband. The film also features Kamal Haasan. The film won three National Film Awards, including Best Feature Film in Tamil.

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