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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

Farhan Akhtar’s Excel Entertainment comes on board Anupam Kher’s ‘Tanvi The Great’

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Mumbai, June 28: Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani’s production banner Excel Entertainment has joined forces with Anupam Kher’s production studio for “Tanvi The Great”.

Excel Entertainment has come on board the project as the global distributor for the drama scheduled to reach the cinema halls on July 18, this year.

Kher took to his official Instagram handle and posted an image with Farhan and Ritesh. Sharing the exciting announcement, he wrote, “ANNOUNCEMENT: Behind every great story are those who dare to believe in it and those who step in to take it even further. Today, that belief turns stronger with #ExcelEntertainment joining our journey. One of Indian cinema’s most passionate storytellers, their support in Tanvi’s journey will strengthen our dream to take her story far and wide globally. Thank you dearest @faroutakhtar and @ritesh_sid for your faith, support and appreciation!”

On Monday, Kher was seen walking the New York streets with legendary Hollywood actor and his friend Robert De Niro.

Kher, who was in the Big Apple for the premiere of “Tanvi: The Great” said that he never thought of doing such a thing even in his “wildest dreams”.

Taking to his Instagram handle, Kher dropped a picture with De Niro, along with the caption: “Never in my wildest dreams had I ever thought that one day I will be walking on the streets of New York with the GREATEST ACTOR in the world. The ICONIC #RobertDeNiro! God is kind and so is Mr. De Niro!! Jai Mata Di! #Actors.”

For the unversed, Kher and De Niro were seen sharing the screen in the 2012 Hollywood release “Silver Linings Playbook”, which was made under the direction of David O. Russell.

Backed by Kher Studios and NFDC, in collaboration with Lower Middle-Class Corporation, “Tanvi The Great” has Shubhangi Dutt, Iain Glen, Boman Irani, Jackie Shroff, Arvind Swami, Pallavi Joshi, Karan Tacker, Nasser, and Shubhangi in pivotal roles, along with others.

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Delnaaz Irani explains why audience loyalty has shifted in today’s TV landscape

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Mumbai, June 24: Actress Delnaaz Irani opened up about the evolving nature of the small screen and why audience loyalty isn’t what it used to be.

Speaking to media, she shared valuable insights into how the rise of OTT platforms, changing viewing habits, and the abundance of content have transformed the way audiences engage with television today. Irani, known for her extensive body of work on television, spoke about how the industry has evolved over the years. Addressing the common perception that TV shows no longer enjoy the long runs they once did, the actress maintained that the quality of content hasn’t necessarily declined.

She emphasized that each show has its own journey and that content creators are still putting in dedicated effort to bring meaningful stories to viewers. However, she acknowledged that the media landscape has undergone a massive transformation. Comparing it to the ‘90s and early 2000s, Delnaaz pointed out that the television industry back then operated with fewer channels and limited platforms.

“Every show has its own journey. Content creators are working hard, and good content is still being made. But the media landscape has changed drastically. Back in the ’90s and early 2000s, we didn’t have this many channels or platforms. Today, OTT has taken over in a big way. There’s so much variety that audience loyalty is scattered. The TRP game has shifted. It’s not about quality alone—luck and timing play a big role.”

Delnaaz Irani also reflected on her experience with the beloved historical comedy “Akbar Birbal.” She called it one of the most special projects of her career, having been part of the popular TV series for nearly three years. The Kal Ho Naa Ho actress expressed a deep sense of pride in revisiting the same role for the stage version, calling it a full-circle moment.

Speaking about the challenges of live comedy, Delnaaz shared that the stage has always been home for her. With her acting roots grounded in theatre, she finds performing comedy in front of a live audience not just effortless but immensely enjoyable. “Comedy has always come naturally to me. I started my journey from the stage; that’s where my acting roots are. The stage was my school, my training ground. So, for me, doing comedy on stage doesn’t feel like work—it feels like play, like I’m just having fun.”

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Pankaj Tripathi talks about how growing up in Bihar influenced his craft

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Mumbai, June 24: Acclaimed star Pankaj Tripathi has opened up about how his growing up days in Bihar influenced his craft in acting.

Talking about how growing up in Bihar has influenced his craft, Pankaj told IANS: “Of course it has. That will happen. We are nothing. We are puppets of our experience. So my experience, everyone’s experience, not mine, where I was born, where I grew up, my experience is in my work.”

Pankaj added: “Even if I was in corporate, or in any other field, I would still be there because I am in acting, I am in art, and in this, our art form, performing art, is very close to human emotion and nature.”

“If we leave singing, everyone has an instrument, if we leave singing. In the art form of acting, the instrument is your experience, your body, your emotions.Through that we create something. Yes. So the experience we have, we recall that memory and put it in scenes and films.”

The actor currently awaits the release of “Metro…In Dino,” which delves into the complex and modern relationships, the upcoming film promises an exploration of love, heartbreak, and human connection.

The film stars Aditya Roy Kapur, Sara Ali Khan, Ali Fazal, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Pankaj Tripathi, Konkona Sen Sharma, Anupam Kher and Neena Gupta. Directed by Anurag Basu, the film will be in cinemas on July 4.

The film is a spiritual sequel to the 2007 film “Life in a… Metro” directed by Basu. Partly inspired by Billy Wilder’s romantic comedy film The Apartment, it features an ensemble cast of Dharmendra, Nafisa Ali, Shilpa Shetty, Kay Kay Menon, Shiney Ahuja, Irrfan Khan, Konkona Sen Sharma, Kangana Ranaut, and Sharman Joshi in lead roles.

It narrates the lives of nine people living in Mumbai and deals with topics such as extramarital affairs, sanctity of marriage, commitment phobia, and love.

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