Former India cricketer and member of the 1983 World Cup-winning team, Kirti Azad, has exposed the celebration bill of the team that has gone viral on social media. He even stated that the signature on the bill, that of Captain Kapil Dev, had been forged.

The image, which shows a receipt of GBP 764.40, contains a lavish order of food items, cocktails, alcohol,and desserts.

The photograph depicts a magnificent luncheon ordered on June 25, 1983, the day India defeated the West Indies to win their maiden Cricket World Cup. The lower part of the banknote appears to bear the signature of India captain Kapil Dev.

The total price of all the goods on the bill was GBP 764.40. According to the Bank of England, that would be equivalent to roughly GBP 2,668 now (approx. Rs 3.4 lakh).

Kirti Azad, however, unequivocally stated that the viral photograph is fraudulent. He disclosed that Team India's celebrations were conducted differently and that they had not even been to the hotel shown on the bill.

“This is fake. It is all over social media. We stayed at the Westmoreland Hotel, next to Lord's Cricket Ground, London. After the victory on 25 June 1983, celebrations took place all night till morning of 26th June. We never went to this hotel. The signature of Kapil Dev is also forged,” Azad posted on X.

Former India spinner Laxman Sivaramakrishnan responded to the tweet by confirming that Kapil Dev's signature differs from the sign on the widely shared picture.

"Kapil Dev doesn't sign that way," Sivaramakrishnan said in his reply.