June 25, 2020 marks the 37th anniversary of India’s maiden World Cup triumph.
India were the ultimate underdogs in the competition and had defeated two times World Champions, West Indies, in the final to lift the coveted trophy at Lord’s.
June 25, 2020 marks the 37th anniversary of India’s first World Cup win. Remembering that historic triumph, India’s then skipper Kapil Dev said it made a big difference in the country as parents started instilling values of sport in the minds of their children.
"I can say we were proud about our team, we made ourselves proud by winning the tournament, the World Cup win is a wonderful thing, because of that the entire nation celebrated," Dev told ANI.
"I think any big achievement affects the next generation, the 1983 win made a big difference, in our country, parents also started inculcating the value of sports, so it was a big thing. We have been producing doctors and engineers in large numbers as parents support that profession," he added.
Despite having a strong unit, India failed to lift the World Cup under Virat Kohli’s captaincy in UK last year. The Men in Blue coped a heartbreaking defeat in the semi-final against New Zealand after dominating the group stage.
Asked about the pressure Kohli is put under for not winning the World Cup as a captain yet, Kapil replied: "There is no pressure on the current Indian team, in my opinion, they are doing well, it's not like that you need to win a World Cup to be called a good team."
"Virat Kohli is doing well, Sourav Ganguly did well, how can we forget Sunil Gavaskar? He was a great captain too. Lifting the cup is not everything, how you shape up the team matters," he further said.
Kapil Dev and company were able to defend a target of 183 in the summit clash. India had restricted the mighty West Indies from making a hat-trick of World Cup wins by beating them with a margin of 43 runs, with Mohinder Amarnath and Madan Lal picking up 3 wickets each.
(With ANI inputs)