Ravi Shastri reckons that the Indian team of 1985, which registered a historic triumph at the Benson and Hedges World Championship in Australia, could have given the current Virat Kohli-led side a run for their money in limited-overs cricket.
During a Facebook live interaction with Sony Sports on Tuesday (May 5), Shastri remembered India’s monumental effort during the 1985 World Championship of Cricket under Sunil Gavaskar’s captaincy.
Notably, Shastri was the hero of India’s successful campaign and had won the famous Audi car for being ‘Player-of-the-Tournament’.
“No question about that. They (team of 85) will give any team that India puts up in white-ball cricket, a run for their money. That team of 85 will give this team a run for money,” the current India head coach said.
Shastri also feels that the team of 1985 was qualitatively superior to the side that won the 1983 World Cup.
“I go one step ahead and say the team of 1985 was a stronger team compared to 1983. You know, I was part of both teams, I played in the 1983 World Cup and 1985, when you look man to man, 80 per cent of that 83 team was still there, but then some of the youngsters that you got in there like a Sivaramakrishnan, Sadanand Vishwanath, Azharuddin, those kind of guys came in to add to the experience you already had of 83 (and it) was fantastic,” he explained.
India had defeated arch-rivals Pakistan in the final by 8 wickets to lift the World Championship title in 1985.
Sharing a hilarious anecdote about a team meeting before the summit clash, Shastri said: “Kapil said, ‘if I win car, I keep 25 percent (by selling) and rest share. Jimmy came and (said) ‘Yaar jisko mila mila’ (whoever gets it, gets it). When my turn came, I said, if I win it, I am keeping the car and I can only share the Stepney.”
