1983-Facts and Fiction

Real-life incidents showcasing the awesomeness of the 83 team

1. Kirti making a useless trip to India

Kirti Azad flew back to India with the team but twenty-four hours later flew back to England to fulfil his commitment to the Lancashire League club he was contracted to play for, scoring a century and helping them win a match.

2. Madan Lal's insane decency shining through

Playing in a Lancashire League match, he beat Brian Heywood and while he did not appeal the slip and wicketkeeper did and Heywood was given out caught. Heywood told me, 'After the match Madan Lal asked me, "Did you hit the ball?" When I said no he said, "I wanted you to know I didn't appeal." That to me reflects how the Indians played the game.'

3. Jimmy taking the consequence even if he could escape it

He's the only player in history to have got out by both handling the ball and obstructing the field. The video of the former is available on the internet; he played a shot, missed the ball which was rolling towards the stumps; Jimmy reached out on instinct to stop it with his hand. 

Then without even glancing at the umpire he walked off. He knew he'd instinctively done something wrong, and he didn't care if the umpire raised his finger-he walked.

4. Yash learning from his big brother

When Yash made his Ranji Trophy debut for Punjab at the age of 19, Jimmy, all of 23, was a senior, and the nicest senior ever if Yash is to be believed, encouraging and motivating at every step, thus giving rise to the custom of Yash calling Jimmy 'big brother' all the time.

In the future, Yash worked with many young cricketers, and he'd well and truly learnt from his big brother. "Uske baad kabhi uchi awaz nahi nikli."

5. 15 pound per match, yet no greed for more

World Cup-winning team, they resisted the lure of white South African gold. Immediately after the win the white South Africans had approached the Indians hoping to entice them into a rebel tour. Gavaskar told me, 'The proposition was put to us after we won the World Cup, but to the great credit of the players they turned it down without another thought. It was just out of the question.'

6. Kapil's staunch-and ridiculous-belief in his team

Kirti related this story about the champagne bottle Kapil used to carry during the WC '83. He didn't drink, and Kirti and the others kept asking for it, because he's not going to drink anyway, so what's the point? But Kaps was possessive about the bottle, and did not let anyone touch it.

Eventually that was their champagne bottle we see in the balcony of Lord's, 25th June 1983.

7. There's a limit to Maddi taking undue credit 

After a point of time Madan Lal got fed up of receiving credit for the Viv Richards wicket of the final and said, "Bass karo yaar, I just bowled the damn ball."

8. Jimmy acting an all round elder brother to Kapil

Jimmy did teach Kapil how to manage money on the tour and they did wash clothes in the tub of bathroom. 

Sunil Gavaskar also went on to say, "And they did not just talk on their tour about how to wash clothes, they also talked tactics, and we were blind followers."

9. Roger and Kapsie's best-friendship

Roger didn't know a word of Hindi, Kaps didn't know a word of English (exaggeration, but that's what he says) and yet according to Kapil, he loved talking to Roger. "In all the 38 years I've known him, I've never seen him getting angry."

10. Maddi pa blasts at rumour mongers

Kapil Dev, has recently undergone a successful emergency coronary angioplasty, post which he was discharged from the hospital. But baseless rumors and speculations around his health have continued to galore. Taking the speculators to task on Monday, Dev's former colleague, Madan Lal launched a tirade against the perpetrators on his social media account where he wrote that the former all-rounder is steadily on his way to full recovery besides asking everyone to respect the privacy of the family in such sensitive times.

"Speculation on a colleagues health and well being is insensitive and irresponsible. Our friend, Kapil Dev is on the path to recovery and getting better each day. At a time where the family has been through stress owing to his hospitalization, please let us be sensitive," Madan Lal tweeted from his Twitter handle on Monday

11. Jimmy inviting Maddi for his wedding

One evening, Jimmy calls Maddi and goes, "Aaj shaam kya kar raha hai?" When Maddi says nothing particular, Jimmy tells him to come over, he's getting married.

Why he could not invite him in a normal way, I have no idea. Neither does Maddi pa. Ask Jimmy.

12. 'SAINTS'

On the bus journey to the hotel after winning their second WC 1983 game, the juniors put on a blue film in the screen of the bus. The seniors, after their initial consternation, didn't protest much.

After a long time, two policemen stopped them on the road, asking, "What have you got going on the screens, and without even having the decency to pull down the curtains? We've had two complaints from people along this stretch of road."

Speechless.

[They didn't include this scene in '83, no doubt because they didn't want to make it an A-rated movie XD]

13. Jimmy taking risks for his juniors

Maninder Singh, a talented leg spinner who went to waste later in his career, said about the 1982 Ranji Trophy season, "By then Mohinder Amarnath was the captain. I used to do three, three and a half hours of practice and bowl to every batsman, from first to last. I don't know what Mohinder paaji saw in me. We went to Patiala, and one night before the match he called me and said, "Beta, tussi kal khed rahe ho." [Son, you are playing tomorrow.] I was shocked. I was thinking I was there only to bowl in the nets, because there was another senior left-arm spinner in the side. He was another messiah in my life, Mohinder Amarnath. The next day he goes for the toss, comes back and says: This is the team. Maninder Singh at No. 11.I got 14 wickets in the match, eight in the first innings and six in the second. I don't know how Jimmy paa took that kind of a decision, in that kind of pressure. If I hadn't done well, people would have torn him apart."

14. Jimmy's one line about Kapil that sums it all up

"Mere khayal se aise log kam milte hai zindagi me."

A/N: I'll keep adding more incidents as I get and if you know of any more, please let me know. Btw, my 1983 collection now has two books:

And I'll really really recommend the left one, it was like reading fanfiction, enriched with stats.