Kapil Dev led India to an astonishing World Cup win in 1983, beating 2-time champions West Indies.
On the auspicious occasion of the 38th anniversary of India’s 1983 World Cup triumph, Kapil Dev said that his side wanted to prove that they can play ODI cricket.
38 years ago, Kapil Dev became the first Indian skipper to lift the ICC Cricket World Cup Trophy by defeating two-time winners West Indies by 43 runs.
The 1983 World Cup win was a turning point in the history of Indian cricket as it transformed the cricketing system in the country.
Indian cricket fraternity celebrates 38th anniversary of India’s 1983 World Cup win
World Cup-winning skipper Kapil Dev said that they had an aim to prove to everyone that they can play ODI cricket. He added that the Indian team’s journey before the World Cup was important as they started playing good cricket which made them confident and then finally they won the World Cup title on June 25th.
"We were enjoying ourselves and we had an aim and we wanted to prove that we can play ODI cricket. The journey before the World Cup was also important as we had started playing good ODI cricket. Our confidence kept on increasing as the tournament progressed and we finally won on June 25,” Kapil Dev told IANS.
Talking about how the Indian cricket team has evolved over the years, Kapil Dev noted that the administration and facilities of the sport have increased drastically in the last few years. He remarked that Indian teams of the past used to wonder about qualifying in the tournaments and now they are confident about winning.
“Administration is better, there are good facilities, so the game will be improved. Today we can have all the things which a team should have. Also, changes come over time and it doesn't take place in one day.
"There was a time when we thought whether we would qualify or not and now we think about winning, this is the difference," he said.
While talking about India’s loss in the World Test Championship final, Kapil Dev feels Team India has come a long way from struggling to win a game to reach the semi-finals and finals of tournaments.
"Our expectations have increased, we now reach semi-finals and finals of tournament but even winning a game was a tedious task for us before.You cannot win all matches or tournaments other teams to have come to play and compete," he said.
(IANS inputs)