On 38th Anniversary Of India's 1983 World Cup Win, Kris Srikkanth Recalls Kapil Dev's "Tremendous Speech"

Former India opening batsman Kris Srikkanth said that it was Kapil Dev's tremendous dressing room speech that instilled the team with the belief that they could go the distance in the 1983 World Cup in England.

On the 38th anniversary of Team India's 1983 World Cup win, the Kapil Dev-led side interacted with NDTV as the players recalled the triumphant journey in the UK which saw them beating the West Indies in the final at Lord's cricket ground. During the chat, the squad highlighted key moments such as Kapil Dev's running backwards catch of Viv Richards in the final and Balvinder Sandhu's 'ball of the century' to Gordon Greenidge that played a pivotal role in India lifting their maiden World Cup trophy. Opening batsman Kris Srikkanth recalled the moment that boosted the team's morale that led to an unforgettable journey. Srikkanth said that it was Kapil Dev's "tremendous speech" in the dressing room that filled the whole squad with the belief that they could go the distance in the tournament in England. "On the eve of our first match against the West Indies, our captain (Kapil Dev) gave a tremendous speech. He said guys when we can beat West Indies, why not once more? Everyone in the dressing room just started looking at each other. But the sense of determination, the sense of aggression, the sense of self belief and the sense of self-confidence which Kapil brought along with guys like Jimmy Amarnath, etc. I think that gave us the confidence," Srikkanth told NDTV.