Ahmedabad: It was former India captain Kapil Dev who led India to it’s first-ever ODI World Cup in 1983. So, ideally, Kapil should have been present at the Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday during the 2023 WC final as all the WC-winning captain’s have been invited for felicitation. As we learn now, Kapil has not even received an invitation from the Board of Control of Cricket in India (BCCI).
“I wasn’t invited there. They didn’t call me so I did not go. As simple as that. I wanted the whole ’83 to be there with me but I guess due to the fact that it’s such a big event and people are so busy handling responsibilities, sometimes they forget,” Dev said when asked why he wasn’t there in the final.
In 1983, Kapil led the side to their maiden WC title at the iconic Lord’s with a win over the-defending champions West Indies. Former India allrounder Mohinder Amarnath was the player of the tournament. He came good with the bat and the ball throughout the competition in England.
Meanwhile, amid deafening noise at a full house at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Australia skipper Pat Cummins won the toss and opted to bowl first against India in the WC final on Sunday.
The Indian team waltzed into the final unbeaten after playing 10 games, chasing five of the matches while defending totals in five.
On the other hand, Australia, after losing two games on the bounce at the start of the tournament, recovered to win eight consecutive matches thereafter to reach the final.
“We are gonna have a bowl first. Looks like a dry wicket. Dew is a factor. It gets better to bat on. Tough start to the tournament, haven’t really put a foot wrong ever since. It’s all set up perfectly. We’ve played these guys a lot. Same team as the semi-final,” Australia skipper Pat Cummins said after calling correctly at the toss.
India skipper Rohit Sharma said at the toss, “I would have batted first. Looks a good pitch, big game, put runs on the board. It’s going to be amazing, everytime we play here,the crowd come out in large numbers. The biggest occasion in the cricketing event. We have to stay nice and calm. It’s a dream come true to be captaining the team in the final. I know what lies in front of us. We need to play well and get the result.”
