BETTER LATE THAN NEVER!!!!

Have you ever imagined that after winning an important tournament the Indian cricket team goes to bed empty stomached? Sounds weird, but nevertheless, its true. The most glorious moment of Indian cricket history was actually followed by a dinner less night. It was 25th June 1983, the historic day when Kapil's Devils had done the impossible. Even after scoring a mere 183, they managed to defeat the mighty West Indies and lift the World Cup, the only time that India manged to achieve this feat. We all saw the frenzied celebrations in the balcony of Lord's while Chika (Krish Srikkanth) enjoyed his puff from the cigarette. But what happened off the screen is completely unbelievable.
The Indian team was staying at the St.James Hotel in London. On a normal day, it takes about five minutes to reach the hotel from Lords. But after that historic win, the Indian team was busy celebrating in the dressing room. Little did they know that they were heading for a major surprise when they left Lords. A huge Indian crowd had gathered on the streets, cheering India's biggest victory and it took the team not five minutes but three long hours to reach their hotel.
By the time the World Champs had finally managed to reach the hotel, to their utter surprise, there was no dinner left for the team. The team slept empty stomached, but the feeling of being 'on top of the world' was so overwhelming that little did they realise the hunger pangs. It was only after they woke up next morning, that they rushed for a heavy breakfast.
Now this too is one of the facets of Indian cricket. Today, Indian players have the luxury of single occupancy in a five-star hotel with 24 hours room service. But when India lifted the World Cup, the players were used to sharing rooms and as mentioned above, sleep hungry, at times too.

However Kapil's Devils had the opportunity to make up for that night. This year, as we celebrate the Silver Jubilee of India's World Cup victory, all the players of the then team will reassemble in London to commemorate that historic day, which will be followed by a gala dinner. Cheers to the victorious dinner, just 25 years late……

Pic Courtesy:Chinmaye A Bhave