New Delhi, Jun 23 (UNI) When Kapil Dev led Indian team lifted the 1983 World Cup at the Lord's balcony, he himself did not know what his team had achieved but 25 years down the line, the legendary all-rounder has finally realised what those 11 boys did, not only for themselves, but also for their future generations.
''In life things happen before you realise. At that time we all were young and as a captain I did not realise what had happened and how it happened. It is now, 25 years later, that we realise our achievement,'' Kapil Dev said during the felicitation of his 14-member 1983 World Cup winning team here last night.
BCCI president Sharad Pawar, who does not share the same ideology when it comes to the current state of cricket in India, believes it was the 1983 World Cup win which helped India to emerge as a great administrative and sporting nation in cricket.
''I still remember that night and I believe that it was this team which helped in accelerating the popularity of cricket in India,'' Pawar said.
''India's Twenty20 World Cup win followed your achievement and we all hope that the current team will follow your footsteps in the 2011 World Cup which will be jointly hosted by India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh,'' Pawar added.
Most of the greats and administrators present on the occasion were unanimous in their thoughts and said the current Indian team has every bit of talent which resembles them to the 1983 team.
Ravi Shastri, who was then the youngest member of the World Cup winning team, exuded confidence in the present bunch of boys and said the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led side is capable of repeating the history.
''The 2011 World Cup will be played in the Indian sub-continent and I think we have a team in the making who can repeat our feet,'' Shastri said.
Pawar further added that during those days the BCCI did not have much money to back their players but the players showed great commitment to inscribe their names in history books.
''It was this team that sowed the seeds of the status that we are enjoying today and we all are grateful to this team,'' Pawar said.
As part of its felicitation, the BCCI presented a cash prize of Rs 25 lakh to every member of the World Cup winning team.
UNI RAR SG KN1317
''In life things happen before you realise. At that time we all were young and as a captain I did not realise what had happened and how it happened. It is now, 25 years later, that we realise our achievement,'' Kapil Dev said during the felicitation of his 14-member 1983 World Cup winning team here last night.
BCCI president Sharad Pawar, who does not share the same ideology when it comes to the current state of cricket in India, believes it was the 1983 World Cup win which helped India to emerge as a great administrative and sporting nation in cricket.
''I still remember that night and I believe that it was this team which helped in accelerating the popularity of cricket in India,'' Pawar said.
''India's Twenty20 World Cup win followed your achievement and we all hope that the current team will follow your footsteps in the 2011 World Cup which will be jointly hosted by India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh,'' Pawar added.
Most of the greats and administrators present on the occasion were unanimous in their thoughts and said the current Indian team has every bit of talent which resembles them to the 1983 team.
Ravi Shastri, who was then the youngest member of the World Cup winning team, exuded confidence in the present bunch of boys and said the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led side is capable of repeating the history.
''The 2011 World Cup will be played in the Indian sub-continent and I think we have a team in the making who can repeat our feet,'' Shastri said.
Pawar further added that during those days the BCCI did not have much money to back their players but the players showed great commitment to inscribe their names in history books.
''It was this team that sowed the seeds of the status that we are enjoying today and we all are grateful to this team,'' Pawar said.
As part of its felicitation, the BCCI presented a cash prize of Rs 25 lakh to every member of the World Cup winning team.
UNI RAR SG KN1317
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