Kapil Dev Reckons 1983 World Cup Win Brought A Seismic Shift In The Attitude Of Parents Towards Sports

Kapil Dev, India’s 1983 World Cup-winning captain, feels his teams’ miraculous heist in the summer of ’83 where they beat world champions West Indies to lay hands on the silverware, brought about a seismic change in the attitude of parents towards sports.

Reminiscing the 1983 World Cup win on its 37th anniversary, Kapil Dev said that post the win, parents started to inculcate the value of sports win their kids which led to a whole host of ten-year-olds like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and many others taking up the game as a career choice.

“I can say we were proud about our team, we made ourselves proud by winning the tournament, the World Cup win is a wonderful thing, because of that the entire nation celebrated,” Kapil Dev told ANI.

“I think any big achievement affects the next generation, the 1983 win made a big difference, in our country, parents also started inculcating the value of sports, so it was a big thing. We have been producing doctors and engineers in large numbers as parents support that profession,” he added.

Also Read: On This Day In 1983- A Miracle That Changed World Cricket Forever

‘Lifting the cup is not everything’- Kapil Dev

Winning a World Cup in any sport is something every sportsman dreams of. And, if you happen to be the captain of the side that wins the World Cup then your legacy gets forever impinged into the annals of that sport.

In recent times, Virat Kohli has been under severe pressure for not leading India to an ICC event victory but Kapil Dev feels lifting a World Cup isn’t the sole parameter for judging a captain.

Giving examples of Sunil Gavaskar and Sourav Ganguly, Kapil Dev reckoned that it is the manner in which a captain builds his team, is what ultimately matters.

“There is no pressure on the current Indian team, in my opinion, they are doing well, it`s not like that you need to win a World Cup to be called a good team. Virat Kohli is doing well, Sourav Ganguly did well, how can we forget Sunil Gavaskar? He was a great captain too. Lifting the cup is not everything, how you shape up the team matters,” Kapil Dev added.

Also Read: 1983 World Cup: Kapil Dev, Ravi Shastri Recall How Face Of Indian Cricket Changed