He said India can win next two World Cups if Rohit and Kohli follow Kapil Dev's footsteps.
Former India and 1983 World Cup-winning pacer Balwinder Singh Sandhu advised current Test skipper Virat Kohli and limited-overs captain, Rohit Sharma, to follow the footsteps of the legendary Kapil Dev.
Kapil Dev, the legendary all-rounder, changed the face of Indian cricket after guiding Indian cricket to glory in the 1983 World Cup by defeating the then two-time world champions, West Indies, while defying every possible odd, especially when nobody believed in them.
He had not only led India to maiden World Cup title, but also picked 12 wickets and emerged as the leading run-scorer for India with 303 runs in the World Cup 1983, whereas Sandhu picked up 8 wickets from as many games and played a key role in the final against the mighty West Indians.
As the biopic on India’s victory in the 1983 World Cup hit the silver screen, it brought a lot of nostalgia, and Sandhu advised Kohli and Rohit to follow Kapil’s style of leadership in the upcoming mega ICC tournaments—T20 World Cup 2022 and ODI World Cup 2023—in India, saying India has the potential to win both the mega-events in the next two years.
As reported by Zee News, Sandhu said during the premiere of movie 83: “Bat like Kapil. Field like Kapil. Be a captain like Kapil (Kapil jaisi captaani karey) aur agle saal jo T20 ka World Cup woh bhi haasil kar paenge aur 2023 mein jo 50 overs ka World Cup India mein hai woh bhi hasil kar paenge (then we can win the T20 World Cup next year and 50-over World Cup in 2023 as well).”
He further highlighted that controversies and cricket always go hand in hand, but in the modern era, the stress has increased due to the presence of social media.
Sandhu explained, “We did not have social media in those days like we have in today’s time. Controversies are part and parcel of sportsmen. What one does is play his game and keep moving forward. But there are people who make stories and story makers are important.”
He signed off by saying, “We write our stories and move ahead what comes thereafter, like the way my entire team is narrating a story that is very important because those are your memories that are being projected onscreen.”