Taking it on the chin

Dilip Vengsarkar happens to be one man among the famous Kapil8217;s Devils who has a strange association with the 8216;83 World Cup.

Dilip Vengsarkar happens to be one man among the famous Kapil8217;s Devils who has a strange association with the 8216;83 World Cup. During various television re-runs of India8217;s memorable evening at Lord8217;s on that June 25, the only time one sees Vengsarkar is when Mohinder Amarnath is running towards the pavilion after plucking out the stumps. He stands on the Lord8217;s balcony clapping for his mates who had just performed a miracle.

Since it was injury that forced Vengsarkar to have a miniscule role in India8217;s first and only World Cup triumph, nostalgia for him means unabashed praise of his mates and revisiting old wounds 8212; one that needed eight stitches on his chin.

8220;It was my second game of the World Cup and we were playing the West Indies at The Oval. We were 80/2 and I was batting on 32 with Jimmy. I was timing the ball well and we were cruising. That8217;s when I got hit by a Malcolm Marshall delivery. I was hospitalised and sidelined for the rest of the World Cup,8221; he says.

There is a hint of despair in his voice since Vengsarkar was in prime form at that time. During the tour to West Indies, just before the World Cup, he had stood tall against the likes of Andy Roberts, Michael Holding and Marshall. A 94 in the last Test at St John8217;s and a 54 in the final ODI at St George meant the world8217;s best side in the world didn8217;t quite intimidate him. And being in England had always been a pleasant experience for Vengsarkar. But this rosy picture was spoiled by a bouncer from his nemesis. Marshall, who had a long running battle with Vengsarkar, had, by injuring the India8217;s premier batsman, also put a hole in the middle-order.

8220;Those eight stitches took time to heal. I was told that I will be fit by the semi-final and when it happened the scene had changed,8221; he says. India8217;s purple patch in the tournament and success of other middle-order batsmen such as Yashpal Sharma, Sandeep Patil, Mohinder Amarnath and Kirti Azad meant the team management wasn8217;t keen to change the winning combination. 8220;It would have been unfair to change the winning team. So we decided to carry on with the same combination for the semi-finals and final,8221; he says.

Rollercoaster ride

Despite being on the sidelines, Vengsarkar didn8217;t miss the ups and downs of India8217;s incredible run. India8217;s no-hopers tag at the start of the World Cup, the gradual march towards to the trophy, Kapil8217;s 175 and the 5-1 odds the bookmakers offered at the semi-final stage for a West Indies-England final are still fresh in his mind.

8220;Everybody in England had booked tickets for the final and that8217;s when he spoiled their party. I heard several stories of Indians buying tickets from English supporters for the final. All through the World Cup we enjoyed great support and after the World Cup, all hell broke loose,8221; says Vengsarkar.

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There was bhangra at the team hotel, the then BCCI president NKP Salve8217;s Rs 25,000 cash prize for every member of the team and a mad scramble to speak to people at home. 8220;Those were the days when we had to book trunk calls. The wait was long but in the moment of triumph it was great to hear voices from people at home,8221; says Vengsarkar.

According to the former India captain June 25, 1983 had a big impact on the game in the country. 8220;From there we went on the win the Benson and Hedges World Championship title in Australia. And later in 1987 we were the favourites to win the World Cup,8221; he adds. As an afterthought he adds, 8220;Five World Cups have gone since 1987, but never ever have Indians got the favourites8217; tag again. That was the kind of impact 8216;83 had on our cricket.8221;