Kapil Dev believes Indian parents began instilling values of sport post 1983 World Cup win

The Indian cricket team, under the leadership of Kapil Dev, defeated West Indies in the 1983 World Cup final on June 25, 1983. Speaking to ANI on the occasion of the 37th anniversary of the achievement, the former Indian captain talked about the impact of their victory on Indian parents. Kapil Dev is of the opinion that ever since they won the 1983 World Cup final, parents in the country have started instilling the value of sports in the minds of their children.

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Kapil Dev on impact of 1983 World Cup final win

Kapil Dev described winning the 1983 World Cup final as a “wonderful thing” which led the entire nation to celebrate the accomplishment. Speaking on the impact of the tournament, he said the win made a big difference in India as parents started to inculcate the value of sports. He believed that India have been already producing doctors and engineers in large numbers because majority of Indian parents supported those professions much more before the tournament. He added that any big achievement affects the next generation and indirectly implied that the 1983 World Cup final win made way for future legends of Indian cricket.

Kapil Dev talks about Virat Kohli, Sourav Ganguly and Sunil Gavaskar’s leadership

When asked about whether current Indian captain Virat Kohli feels the pressure for not winning a World Cup yet, Kapil Dev believed that the team is doing well and there is no pressure at them at the moment. He stated that Virat Kohli is doing a good job as a leader and one does not necessarily have to win a World Cup to be called as a good team.

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Kapil Dev also spoke about Sourav Ganguly and Sunil Gavaskar’s contribution as captains of the Indian cricket team. He said that both were great captains and even though they did not win the coveted trophy, he implied that they shaped up their teams well.

Interestingly, Sourav Ganguly’s team came close to lifting the World Cup at the 2003 event but they were handed a defeat in the final by the rampaging Australians. MS Dhoni’s men went one step further in 2011 and ended the 28-year old World Cup drought in front of their home crowd in Mumbai.

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Image credits: ICC Twitter