‘The original captain cool’ – Sunil Gavaskar lauds Kapil Dev for his captaincy in 1983 World Cup

Sunil Gavaskar. (Photo Source: Twitter)

June 25, 1983, was the day when team India etched their names into the history books and won their first-ever World Cup title. Led by Kapil Dev, India went on a miracle run in the tournament, beating some of the best teams in the world. In the summit clash of the competition, they took on the mighty West Indies and defeated them by 43 runs to clinch their maiden world title.

Mohinder Amarnath was named Player of the Match in the summit clash for his 26 runs and spell of seven overs, in which he took three wickets and conceded just 12 runs. It was Kapil Dev’s excellent leadership combined with the resilience of the whole squad that enabled the side to emerge victorious in the World Cup and become champions, and former Indian batter Sunil Gavaskar is of a similar opinion.

Heaping massive praise on Kapil’s captaincy throughout the tournament, Gavaskar opined that the former’s performances were sensational, with his captaincy being dynamic.

His captaincy was dynamic, exactly what the format required: Sunil Gavaskar

“Kapil’s performances with both bat and ball were dazzling, to say the least. Not to forget his catch of Viv Richards in the final. His captaincy was dynamic, exactly what the format required, and his ready smile even when a player dropped a catch or mis-fielded makes him the original captain cool,” Gavaskar told Times of India on the 40th anniversary of the World Cup win.

Furthermore, Gavaskar also reflected on the emotions the whole team felt after winning the World Cup, stating that everybody was left short for words after clinching the title. “It’s hard to put in words what those moments after the win felt like. It would have made a great advert for toothpaste as everybody around us were laughing and smiling and to see that was simply heart-lifting,” Gavaskar said.