1983 WC: Former India wicketkeeper Syed Kirmani recalls an amusing event during the 1983 ODI World Cup. Notably, under Kapil Dev’s captaincy, India won the 50-over event, their first International Cricket Council (ICC) title that year.
Kirmani discussed what transpired during the World Cup match against Zimbabwe, which prompted him to walk to the centre of the pitch to join Kapil Dev. Dev hit an undefeated 175 and combined with Kirmani for a 126-run partnership to record a match-winning total of 266. Notably, India then outscored Zimbabwe by 235 runs, with Madan Lal claiming three wickets.
Kirmani told Star Sports that he was never regarded an all-rounder and had to bat at the bottom of the order. The keeper-batter was getting ready for a shower and a lovely breakfast when India were reduced to 17/5 against Zimbabwe. The 73-year-old went on to claim that after a while, someone urged him to pad up, but he thought they were joking, and he was surprised when he saw the scorecard.
“Because I was never considered an all-rounder, I used to bat at the bottom of the order. So I had seven all-rounders in front of me. Kapil Dev won the toss and chose to bat against Zimbabwe, so I was at ease. I had wrapped myself in a towel as I prepared for a shower and a good meal. ‘Pad up, Kiri!’ screamed someone from outside. I ignored them because I assumed they were playing a joke on me. But then they screamed once again. When I peeked out the window at the scoreboard, it read 17/5. “Trust me, the towel I was wearing slipped,” Kirmani explained.
The 73-year-old said, “I don’t remember how quickly I padded up and went to the crease. He went on to say that the then-India captain was obviously dissatisfied with the team’s performance in a knockout game.
“I’m not sure if I had breakfast or how quickly I padded up and went out to meet Kapil Dev.” I could understand his dissatisfaction with his performance in a knockout game. But I haven’t seen someone pitch a more devastating inning in those scenario,” he continued.
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