In a most strange and shameful act BCCI (Soon to be in Forbes List of Richest Companies)does not want to honour the 1983 Cricket World Cup Winning Team becuase of Kapil Dev's involvement with the Indian Cricket League (ICL), the Board has decided against commemorating 25 years of India’s momentous World Cup win---Its very shameful on BCCI who have forgotten the very basic team of 1983 on rewriting the cricket history in India. If not for 1983 World Cup win Cricket could not have been popular as its now in the form of IPL. But Crickers of 1983 winning squard are planning a celebration all through the year.
Related article on The Telegraph
“Frankly, I wouldn’t have minded had the Board decided to honour everybody except me… You can’t, after all, ignore such a big achievement… I didn’t win the World Cup alone… Mujhe nahin bulate to bhi theek tha,” Kapil told The Telegraph on Thursday evening.
Speaking on the sidelines of an ICL function to mark actor Mithun Chakraborty becoming a “co-owner” of the Kolkata Tigers (to be renamed Royal Bengal Tigers from the ICL’s second season) team, Kapil added: “Even if the Board isn’t doing anything, Sunil (Gavaskar) is organising a private function at Lord’s on June 25… It’s for the players and by the players and I’m looking forward to it…”
Gavaskar has booked the Long Room there for a “sit-down dinner.”
According to Kapil, Gavaskar sounded him out some weeks ago and the 14-member World Cup-winning squad could meet after a month or so to finalise what else needed to be done that day.
“Today, I don’t have any emotions… Am not thinking too much of June 25… But, yes, I’m bound to get emotional once all of us reassemble at Lord’s… It will be a special occasion,” Kapil remar- ked.
Asked why the Board, which felicitated Test captain Anil Kumble (for taking 600 wickets) earlier this week, wasn’t doing anything to remember the 1983 heroes, an office-bearer bluntly said: “That’s because we want to look ahead, not back… Why go back to the past?”
Astonishing, really.
The gentleman needs to be told that the 1983 World Cup win changed the face of Indian cricket. Encouraged Sachin Tendulkar to dump tennis… Elevated cricket to a status much beyond sport…
And more.
Kapil, by the way, isn’t the only member of that squad involved with the ICL. Three others — Sandeep Patil, Madanlal and Balwinder Singh Sandhu, all of whom featured in that memorable final against the West Indies — are also on the Board’s blacklist.
The Board can stop their pensions (the matter, expectedly, is in court), but can’t rewrite history...Thankfully.
Report from Yahoo Sports
The itinerary for silver jubilee celebrations of India's 1983 World Cup victory has been finalised. Kapil's Devils will be seen in action in four six-a-side matches across the country next month. Then, a dinner function will be held in Dubai on June 19 before the big bash on June 25 in the Long Room at Lord's, where India claimed the World Cup on the same date 25 years ago.
The celebrations will include a music programme and a golf tournament, for which invitations have been sent to several of the the West Indies players who featured in that famous final. All this is not being organised by the Indian cricket board but by Sunil Gavaskar's firm, Professional Management Group (PMG), and is being seen by many as a snub to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
Sources say that the BCCI, which in recent times highlighted how it rewards former players, has been reluctant to take up the World Cup silver jubilee project because it would involve inviting players such as Kapil, Sandeep Patil, Madan Lal and Balwinder Singh Sandhu, who have aligned themselves with the rival Indian Cricket League (ICL).
"I'm not hurt that the board is not organising the function," Kapil told The Indian Express. "Why should I be hurt? Yeh meri shaadi ka jashn hai (this is like a celebration of my wedding), why should anyone else celebrate it for me? The important thing is not whether the board is backing off because of me or the ICL, but whether we will invite the board members or not. Right now, it doesn't look like that we'll interested in calling them. This is an event by Sunny (Gavaskar) and I'm helping him with it."
The BCCI's chief administrative officer Ratnakar Shetty confirmed that they would not be holding any function for the 1983 champions. "We're not doing anything. Let them do whatever they're doing. We haven't got any invitation from them for any intimation," Shetty said.
Sources say the board is stuck in a catch-22. "The BCCI has decided to stay away because of reasons known to everyone," said one board official, who did not want to be named. "It has players that are part of ICL and therefore cannot be part of any official function organised by the board. We have no option but to go by the rules," he added.
Invitation letters from Gavaskar's company have been sent to every member of the squad. According to sources, written confirmation from only three-four players is pending. "But we'll get it in a day or two," a PMG official said.
"We've all got a collective mail from Sunil Gavaskar, inviting us to be part of our World Cup celebrations and I have given my confirmation," Madan Lal said. Kirti Azad also confirmed that he had got an invite, adding that he was looking forward to the "reunion".
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Hope that Millions of Indian do remember this as a Most Breathtaking Moment in the History of Indian Sports. All the best and wishes for the 1983 Squard if not for BCCI we the millions of Indians are proud of your marvelous acheivement in the Indian History
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