1983-Facts and Fiction

To our mad captain

"But Mr. Frith...

He was serious. That day we defeated your giant West Indies. I don't think our mad captain is going to go back happy with the rather splendid job he's done till now. He will be only happy...when he's holding the World Cup in his hands.

Nothing less will do. Nothing less."

~Krisnamachari Srikkanth

***

Evening of the bloodied India vs West Indies, 2nd leg, WC 1983

"Aren't you coming, Kaps?" Cheeka yelled down the corridor.

Kapil didn't feel like yelling back-he knew his voice would break and give him away. So he waited for Cheeka to come to his room and repeat the question, which he did in a moment.

"C'mon, Kapsie, the last bus is leaving for the hospital," said Cheeka.

"I'll go tomorrow," said Kapil, not looking around. "You guys go, I'll stay back with Jimmy pa."

"Jimmy pa is already gone," said Cheeka. "He's probably sitting beside Dilip right now."

That made Kapil turn. "What-? Didn't Man bhai stop him? He's injured all over himself!"

"He went anyway," said Cheeka airily.

Kapil ground his teeth to calm himself down and stop himself from snapping at Cheeka, who wasn't at fault at all.

Earlier that day, the pace quartet of West Indies-Roberts, Holding, Garner and Marshall, especially the latter-had launched a prolonger 20-over attack on Jimmy and Dilip, targeting their heads and elbows, till Dilip was hit on the chin so badly that he'd had to be carried to the hospital almost unconscious, and was, now, ruled out of the entire World Cup. Jimmy pa had continued for another 20 overs, scoring 80 in the losing cause. By the end of his innings, he was bruised all over, face and chest and elbow, which he hadn't managed to hide in time in the dressing room, though he'd tried.

If Cheeka was right, and Jimmy pa had actually dared to forego 'complete rest for a day' and gone to the hospital-

"What's up, Kapsie?" asked Cheeka in an unusually quiet voice, joining him on the couch.

"What do you think is up?" snapped Kapil.

"Trying to figure that out, because we spoke to Dilip on the phone and he's fine. He'll be fine. So is Jimmy pa, even if he's a bit banged up. And because we did lose two matches in a row, but our mad captain hopes for the best even in the darkest hours. So what could be the reason behind his tears?"

Kapil swiped at his eyes furiously.

"Dilip and Jimmy are the very-balance of our team," he said finally. "If Dilip can't play anymore-what team do we have left?"

"One with less balance," said Cheeka. "But not without. And maybe one with less to lose."

"Kaps, Cheeka?" Roger asked from the door. "Coming?"

Cheeka motioned a no at him.

"You aren't going either," observed Kapil stoically. "You spoke to Dilip on the phone earlier? Did he sound like he's ok?"

"Yeah, he did..."

"But not ok enough to play," mumbled Kapil. "Seven stitches..."

"Kapsie...none of us imagined for a moment we'd win even a single match against West Indies. We had our doubts on winning a single match in the whole tournament. But we did, didn't we? We've already won two-"