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[Cover Point]

Dex obviously missed the other part of Penlax's comment. The Indian team played well in 83 in conditions tailor made for them. Indians were genuine swing bowlers and the conditions during that WC were perfect for that. So yes India were always the underdogs and were never taken seriously by others (they probably considered India lucky to get to the point).

India had good players like Binney and Amarnath etc who revelled in those conditions. But that Indian team was definitely lucky ...since just a few months later as Penlax mentioned India were routed (and yes routed) 5-0 by the WI. And WI showed IN INDIA how much better they were when they literally humiliated India. I still remember Marshal consistently running through the Indian top order and making us look horrible.

So that Indian team was definitely not the best in the world. Yes they did use the conditions in England well and used the luck that came their way well (how many times can u expect Kapil to hit 175 after India was 17/5)

And the whole point of the discussion was whether that Pakora munching India was as good as the new India which JW and SG started and which GC has taken to the next level where work ethic is important and workout doesnt just mean excercising your imagination!

[inoc]

india were lucky but the victory in the 1983 WC wasnt a fluke.

indias record in ODIs was dismal prior to that. won 12 out of 40. the last ten in the two year period before the world cup. which included a win over the WI just before the world cup. a factor which points to indian improvement in the game but largely escaped the notice of others.

it was easy for the other teams to take india lightly and they suffered. the one team that shouldnt have was the west indies they were 2-2 in the last four one dayers but their arrogance got the better of them specially when india managed a small total in the final.

why do i say everybody took india lightly? - it is because we the fans didnt expect too much either. when india were 17 for 5 i went to see a film on a live recording of ELP only to be mentally chastised once somebody carrying a ghettoblaster of a radio on the road informed me of kapils heroics. never ever have i walked out on a india match whatever the situation, if free.

why i say they were lucky? - it was because @ 17 for five against an established team it would have been curtains. kapil dev playing an innings of a life time never to be repeated again. other teams thinking we were pushovers and not concentrating on our positives, which were as others have mentioned a horses for courses team.

nevertheless to beat WI three times in five, england and australia to win the cup - that sir is no fluke.

[dhruvdeepak]

i cant believe people toe that drunkard Dungarpur's line that 'India got lucky' or 'West Indies was arrogant'. In my mind, this is a simple issue. Cricket, especially one-day cricket in the world cup format is all about being better on the day.
Were the WI team a better one on paper? Did they have more matchwinners? If you take the collective of their players' achievements from that team and compare it with ours, were they better? Yes. No doubt, yes. But the question is, is that what cricket is about?

In cricket, in a world cup final, all that matters is who plays better on the day. The fact is, we upped ourselves that day. We played as well as we could. and West Indies didnt. If it was about 'which is actually the better team', they might as well have given the trophy to WI anyway!

We were there and ready for the occasion. We played well in the World cup, especially the final. And we deserved the trophy. End of story. You do not go on about 'which is the better team' or 'we were lucky'. Someone PLEASE TELL ME, where does that enter the equation? Since when do a player's records and achievements matter, if on the big day he does not perform?

Yes, WI routed us in the series after. They wanted revenge. But they will never take away the '83 World Cup. Please dont demean it. You dont get all those heroic achievements by our players in that WC, by getting lucky.

[vijay]

Applause DD

[suraj]

i cant believe people toe that drunkard Dungarpur's line that 'India got lucky' or 'West Indies was arrogant'. In my mind, this is a simple issue. Cricket, especially one-day cricket in the world cup format is all about being better on the day.
Were the WI team a better one on paper? Did they have more matchwinners? If you take the collective of their players' achievements from that team and compare it with ours, were they better? Yes. No doubt, yes. But the question is, is that what cricket is about?

In cricket, in a world cup final, all that matters is who plays better on the day. The fact is, we upped ourselves that day. We played as well as we could. and West Indies didnt. If it was about 'which is actually the better team', they might as well have given the trophy to WI anyway!

We were there and ready for the occasion. We played well in the World cup, especially the final. And we deserved the trophy. End of story. You do not go on about 'which is the better team' or 'we were lucky'. Someone PLEASE TELL ME, where does that enter the equation? Since when do a player's records and achievements matter, if on the big day he does not perform?

Yes, WI routed us in the series after. They wanted revenge. But they will never take away the '83 World Cup. Please dont demean it. You dont get all those heroic achievements by our players in that WC, by getting lucky.

Well said DD!!

[caught and bowled]

This thread is about John Wright's Indian Summers so I feel guilty of digressing a bit. However the 83 WC win is perhaps as strong an excuse as was ever needed. I was much, much older than most here when it happened and although the finer details have faded a bit, that special feeling, that exhilaration of a WC win is still very fresh, almost as if it had happened just yesterday.

Vijay, INOC, Penlax, Ruchir, DD, Ramshorn and others are all correct in their own assessments. Although the Indians were quietly confident of doing well, it is a fact that most of the bigger teams didn’t take us too seriously then. We had indeed defeated WI just a little before the World Cup (in Barbice  if I can remember correctly) and also in the initial rounds of that WC,  still the WI were absolutely mighty those days and hence nobody gave us any chance at all in the final. I remember the mood very clearly during the break when we had just managed to score 183. It used to be  a 60 over game those days and we hadn't even utilised our  full quota.  All of us fans had almost given up, although Sandhu's bowling of Greenidge was spectacular. (He had actually shouldered arm, only to find the ball coming in and knocking his off stump). However that brought in Richards and the way he went about  hammering us, I remember, most of us preferred to look elsewhere. His strokes were so brutal that it  almost seemed as if he was lashing each one of us (fans) physically. I felt sick in the stomach (I felt exactly the same when Ponting got stuck in to us in WC03 final in Jo'burg). I haven't seen too many better catches than Kapil's catch of Richards that day. I think they were some 57-58 for 3 when Richards was gone.

Then, one of those delightful things which were a part of Doordarshan's coverage those days, happened.  The match coverage was interrupted for some "National Transmission" from Delhi. (As an aside, our 21" Dayanora black and white TV bought for Rs. 3010/- was our only prized possession at that time. I think our parents had saved Rs10 per month in the postal savings for years and years to be able to fulfil the demand of my brother and mine for a TV).

During this forced break, all of us were fretting and fuming and trying to find out what was going on. We had an old rickety transistor at home with which we were lucky if we could tune into Vividh Bharati, so getting BBC commentary etc. was almost impossible. Neither any of my friends nor we had phones at home so calling anyone to find out what was going on was also out. And then as suddenly as the Cricket transmission had gone off, it came back  on and we saw Lloyd limping and getting out. Some 60 odd for 5. Enough to believe in  God and miracles again. The atmosphere after the win was like Diwali, Eid and Christmas all coming together, and that too  in June. People did absolutely outrageous things on the streets but no one minded. Everyone understood!!

I think the WI were too over confident (if  ever there is such thing!!)  because of the small target and it showed in their body language. We were also  lucky in so many respects. Lloyd was injured in the final.  The whole WC took place in June in England when the ball moves in the air. We had players like Sandhu, Binny, Madanlal and Mohinder to exploit that to the hilt. Mohinder used to play in England those days and knew exactly what to do. Gavaskar was not in the greatest of form but  that didn’t matter because we had  people like Mohinder, Sandeep, Shrikaanth etc. Yashpal was a great fielder and fighter. He and Kirmani always did their bit in the lower order. Madanlal had a lot of spunk. Kapil was in good nick too. You do need large slices of luck to come back from situations like 17 for 5 or even for taking catches like the one Kapil took of Richards'.  It is no doubt that the WI were just much much better than us before that match and after that as well. It just so happened that we were very good that day and that’s what mattered the most.

Personally for me though, almost as gratifying as the Final win was the semi-final win against England. Their entire press, ex players and the current ones had  written us off even before the match had begun. They had already been talking about playing the WI in the finals and then,  Sandeep hit those 5-6 consecutive boundaries off Willis to knock the stuffing out of them. Truly, the stuff dreams are made off..

Will try and write later about Pakoras, Parathas etc. if possible. Its not easy to maintain your train of thoughts when you are writing from the office while trying to avoid curious glances at your screen from your boys...

[keep-it-cool]

Irrespective of whether we were lucky or deserved the win (I think it is the latter) in WC83, things have changed since then.

The game has become more professional and the stress on being fit and athletic is now more than it ever was. Several other teams adapted to this change earlier than we did. That explains the Aussies working out hard v/s some Indian player going about his routine in his own way. Of course, even before JW came in, there were Indian players like Azza who took their fitness very seriously. But being fit as a team ethic or as one of the key measures for the group as a whole probably came in only after JW took over.

That we won a WC close 25 years ago (even deservedly so) despite not being at peak fitness or the fittest team is no excuse.

[LosingNow]

I have finished the book too although I have read some chapters much more thoroughly than others. Was hoping to do something similar to what DD has planned, However, time is a major issue for me. Some random impressions:

-He comes across as somebody really genuine who has the interests of India, Indian team and Indian fans at heart. His frustration at the mixed progress of the team (one step forward, one step back!) is  quite evident throughout the book.

-When there are good things to say, he mentions people by their names. However, unpleasant  things are mentioned without taking any names

-He has a fantastic sense of humour and the book is written in "tongue firmly in cheek" style.

-He was much tougher than what the media had lead us  believe

-Tendulkar keeps and settles scores with other teams and their players. Apparently, during the innings break during the India-Pak WC03 match, a Paki  player is supposed to have  said something rude to one of  the Indian players who didn’t take it lying down. Things were getting ugly , Srinath had to step in and break the fight. In this context, Tendulkar, while stepping out to bat with Sehwag is supposed to have said  "I am going to get them".

-Tendulkar and Dravid sledged Waugh in Chennai in 2001 by asking "So Steve how is the final frontier looking now?"

-Although he is very diplomatic, he seems to have been quite frustrated with Ganguly's style of functioning. One gets a feeling that the two of them didn’t always sing from the same sheet.  E.g. Gavaskar showing up during the Australia series in India as a batting consultant in response to Ganguly's text message to him. However, Ganguly not informing Wright about it and Wright actually finding out from Gavaskar's talk during the team meeting.  Generally, there is lots one can read between the lines. (And it can be twisted any which way one wants).

-Off season, our players take it real easy in terms of fitness etc. The bad performances after the 2004 Australia in Australia and the win in Pak appear to be the result of our players becoming complacent and dropping their intensity

-He believes that some players are much more prone to being dropped than others. He feels that Kaif and Laxman are the Fall guys of Indian Cricket. Always two matches away from being dropped.

-He repeatedly talks about his respect for seniors like Kumble, Srinath, Dravid, Tendulkar, Laxman

-As far as the functioning of the board and it's officials is concerned, he has laid it out as it has been. It makes a very painful reading, especially since one knows that what he has written is absolutely true. The functioning of the board appears to be extremely unprofessional (so whats new?). Its really a miracle that people like Wright himself, Leipus, Le Raux etc. stuck around for as long as they did.  He feels that a lot of very talented Cricketers don’t make it  any where near to the top in Indian cricket simply because they do not have any Godfathers.

-Through out his tenure there were non performing big names and stars whom he would have liked to be dropped for couple of matches or series,  but couldn't. The players concerned knew that they wouldn't be touched and carried on with their merry ways.

-He had seized the Indian media and the board situation well and was very careful about how he handled them and what he put in writing etc.

C&b:
Good summary. I have read the first few chapters...it really is a page turner and I am liking JW more and more as a person.

DD:
I am doing the same thing.. marking out paragraphs that I intend to type here (funnily enough you have typed some of the ones that I would have typed.. specially the whole gym training routine!!). Hope I find time to do it.

I personally think this book is a must read for most of us fans of Indian cricket ..but also for those in "leadership" positions in organizations and can relate to the challenges of coaching in cricket.

[LosingNow]

Vijay, INOC, Penlax, Ruchir, DD, Ramshorn and others are all correct in their own assessments. Although the Indians were quietly confident of doing well, it is a fact that most of the bigger teams didn’t take us too seriously then. We had indeed defeated WI just a little before the World Cup (in Barbice  if I can remember correctly) and also in the initial rounds of that WC,  still the WI were absolutely mighty those days and hence nobody gave us any chance at all in the final. I remember the mood very clearly during the break when we had just managed to score 183. It used to be  a 60 over game those days and we hadn't even utilised our  full quota.  All of us fans had almost given up, although Sandhu's bowling of Greenidge was spectacular. (He had actually shouldered arm, only to find the ball coming in and knocking his off stump). However that brought in Richards and the way he went about  hammering us, I remember, most of us preferred to look elsewhere. His strokes were so brutal that it  almost seemed as if he was lashing each one of us (fans) physically. I felt sick in the stomach (I felt exactly the same when Ponting got stuck in to us in WC03 final in Jo'burg). I haven't seen too many better catches than Kapil's catch of Richards that day. I think they were some 57-58 for 3 when Richards was gone.

Then, one of those delightful things which were a part of Doordarshan's coverage those days, happened.  The match coverage was interrupted for some "National Transmission" from Delhi. (As an aside, our 21" Dayanora black and white TV bought for Rs. 3010/- was our only prized possession at that time. I think our parents had saved Rs10 per month in the postal savings for years and years to be able to fulfil the demand of my brother and mine for a TV).

During this forced break, all of us were fretting and fuming and trying to find out what was going on. We had an old rickety transistor at home with which we were lucky if we could tune into Vividh Bharati, so getting BBC commentary etc. was almost impossible. Neither any of my friends nor we had phones at home so calling anyone to find out what was going on was also out. And then as suddenly as the Cricket transmission had gone off, it came back  on and we saw Lloyd limping and getting out. Some 60 odd for 5. Enough to believe in  God and miracles again. The atmosphere after the win was like Diwali, Eid and Christmas all coming together, and that too  in June. People did absolutely outrageous things on the streets but no one minded. Everyone understood!!

C&B : thanks for taking me down memory lane.
Oh boy... I still choke up when I read this description of that day!!
I can tell you each and every minute of that night..
1. My train ride from Rajahmundry to Kakinada (because we did not have TV transmission in Rajahmundry)
2. Fifteen of us sitting in front of a black and white Dayonara in a TV shop..with sometimes fuzzy pictures
3. Srikanth's incredible start ..up
4. 183 all out ..down
5. Sandhu bowling out Greenidge ..up
6. DD break .. tension
7. Amarnath's dibbly/dobbly run up and crucial wickets ..up
8.  Indian win .. Nirvana!!
9. The train ride back home .. the entire train and all the stations in between were partying
10. REaching home at 5AM and dancing with friends till Noon ..mom, making sweets..everyone sharing sweets!!
..and at 2PM, the father of one of my close friends who was hospitalized for diabetes-related complications, passed away!. What a day!!

[dextrous]

Vijay, INOC, Penlax, Ruchir, DD, Ramshorn and others are all correct in their own assessments. Although the Indians were quietly confident of doing well, it is a fact that most of the bigger teams didn’t take us too seriously then. We had indeed defeated WI just a little before the World Cup (in Barbice  if I can remember correctly) and also in the initial rounds of that WC,  still the WI were absolutely mighty those days and hence nobody gave us any chance at all in the final. I remember the mood very clearly during the break when we had just managed to score 183. It used to be  a 60 over game those days and we hadn't even utilised our  full quota.  All of us fans had almost given up, although Sandhu's bowling of Greenidge was spectacular. (He had actually shouldered arm, only to find the ball coming in and knocking his off stump). However that brought in Richards and the way he went about  hammering us, I remember, most of us preferred to look elsewhere. His strokes were so brutal that it  almost seemed as if he was lashing each one of us (fans) physically. I felt sick in the stomach (I felt exactly the same when Ponting got stuck in to us in WC03 final in Jo'burg). I haven't seen too many better catches than Kapil's catch of Richards that day. I think they were some 57-58 for 3 when Richards was gone.

Then, one of those delightful things which were a part of Doordarshan's coverage those days, happened.  The match coverage was interrupted for some "National Transmission" from Delhi. (As an aside, our 21" Dayanora black and white TV bought for Rs. 3010/- was our only prized possession at that time. I think our parents had saved Rs10 per month in the postal savings for years and years to be able to fulfil the demand of my brother and mine for a TV).

During this forced break, all of us were fretting and fuming and trying to find out what was going on. We had an old rickety transistor at home with which we were lucky if we could tune into Vividh Bharati, so getting BBC commentary etc. was almost impossible. Neither any of my friends nor we had phones at home so calling anyone to find out what was going on was also out. And then as suddenly as the Cricket transmission had gone off, it came back  on and we saw Lloyd limping and getting out. Some 60 odd for 5. Enough to believe in  God and miracles again. The atmosphere after the win was like Diwali, Eid and Christmas all coming together, and that too  in June. People did absolutely outrageous things on the streets but no one minded. Everyone understood!!

C&B : thanks for taking me down memory lane.
Oh boy... I still choke up when I read this description of that day!!
I can tell you each and every minute of that night..
1. My train ride from Rajahmundry to Kakinada (because we did not have TV transmission in Rajahmundry)
2. Fifteen of us sitting in front of a black and white Dayonara in a TV shop..with sometimes fuzzy pictures
3. Srikanth's incredible start ..up
4. 183 all out ..down
5. Sandhu bowling out Greenidge ..up
6. DD break .. tension
7. Amarnath's dibbly/dobbly run up and crucial wickets ..up
8.  Indian win .. Nirvana!!
9. The train ride back home .. the entire train and all the stations in between were partying
10. REaching home at 5AM and dancing with friends till Noon ..mom, making sweets..everyone sharing sweets!!
..and at 2PM, the father of one of my close friends who was hospitalized for diabetes-related complications, passed away!. What a day!!

Makes me wonder what 1983 was like...tell us more, oh people older than me!

[prfsr]

Makes me wonder what 1983 was like...tell us more, oh people older than me!

I can tell you one thing for sure. The 1983 team was not half as unfit as people here (inspired by JW) make them out to be. Binny, Madan, Kapil, Yashpal, Srikanth were very good outfielders. There were some reliable close catchers in SMG, Amarnath, Azad. The slow people, IIRC were Patil, Sandhu in the outfield. Kirmani was well, Kirmani, great as ever.

I would even venture that this was one of the best outfielding teams in India ever!

From the card at
http://www.cricinfo.com/link_to_database/ARCHIVE/WORLD_CUPS/WC83/IND_WI_WC83_ODI-FINAL_25JUN1983.html

you can tell that we batted till 10. Kirti Azad was the only spinner in the side. Kapil, Sandhu, Mada, Binny were the pacers, Amarnath the part-time pacer. There was a predictable batting order. As per the trends then, only Sri was a dasher at the top. The other 4 in the top 5 were accumulators. Then came Kapil, Kirti, Binny, Madan and to an extent Kirmani for the slog. Everyone understood their role and carried it out well (except I guess SMG ).

-P

[dhruvdeepak]

Vijay, INOC, Penlax, Ruchir, DD, Ramshorn and others are all correct in their own assessments. Although the Indians were quietly confident of doing well, it is a fact that most of the bigger teams didn’t take us too seriously then. We had indeed defeated WI just a little before the World Cup (in Barbice  if I can remember correctly) and also in the initial rounds of that WC,  still the WI were absolutely mighty those days and hence nobody gave us any chance at all in the final. I remember the mood very clearly during the break when we had just managed to score 183. It used to be  a 60 over game those days and we hadn't even utilised our  full quota.  All of us fans had almost given up, although Sandhu's bowling of Greenidge was spectacular. (He had actually shouldered arm, only to find the ball coming in and knocking his off stump). However that brought in Richards and the way he went about  hammering us, I remember, most of us preferred to look elsewhere. His strokes were so brutal that it  almost seemed as if he was lashing each one of us (fans) physically. I felt sick in the stomach (I felt exactly the same when Ponting got stuck in to us in WC03 final in Jo'burg). I haven't seen too many better catches than Kapil's catch of Richards that day. I think they were some 57-58 for 3 when Richards was gone.

Then, one of those delightful things which were a part of Doordarshan's coverage those days, happened.  The match coverage was interrupted for some "National Transmission" from Delhi. (As an aside, our 21" Dayanora black and white TV bought for Rs. 3010/- was our only prized possession at that time. I think our parents had saved Rs10 per month in the postal savings for years and years to be able to fulfil the demand of my brother and mine for a TV).

During this forced break, all of us were fretting and fuming and trying to find out what was going on. We had an old rickety transistor at home with which we were lucky if we could tune into Vividh Bharati, so getting BBC commentary etc. was almost impossible. Neither any of my friends nor we had phones at home so calling anyone to find out what was going on was also out. And then as suddenly as the Cricket transmission had gone off, it came back  on and we saw Lloyd limping and getting out. Some 60 odd for 5. Enough to believe in  God and miracles again. The atmosphere after the win was like Diwali, Eid and Christmas all coming together, and that too  in June. People did absolutely outrageous things on the streets but no one minded. Everyone understood!!

C&B : thanks for taking me down memory lane.
Oh boy... I still choke up when I read this description of that day!!
I can tell you each and every minute of that night..
1. My train ride from Rajahmundry to Kakinada (because we did not have TV transmission in Rajahmundry)
2. Fifteen of us sitting in front of a black and white Dayonara in a TV shop..with sometimes fuzzy pictures
3. Srikanth's incredible start ..up
4. 183 all out ..down
5. Sandhu bowling out Greenidge ..up
6. DD break .. tension
7. Amarnath's dibbly/dobbly run up and crucial wickets ..up
8.  Indian win .. Nirvana!!
9. The train ride back home .. the entire train and all the stations in between were partying
10. REaching home at 5AM and dancing with friends till Noon ..mom, making sweets..everyone sharing sweets!!
..and at 2PM, the father of one of my close friends who was hospitalized for diabetes-related complications, passed away!. What a day!!

Makes me wonder what 1983 was like...tell us more, oh people older than me!

just call them old  what is this "oh ye who are older than me". everyone will know what you mean 

[sudzz]

Vijay, INOC, Penlax, Ruchir, DD, Ramshorn and others are all correct in their own assessments. Although the Indians were quietly confident of doing well, it is a fact that most of the bigger teams didn’t take us too seriously then. We had indeed defeated WI just a little before the World Cup (in Barbice  if I can remember correctly) and also in the initial rounds of that WC,  still the WI were absolutely mighty those days and hence nobody gave us any chance at all in the final. I remember the mood very clearly during the break when we had just managed to score 183. It used to be  a 60 over game those days and we hadn't even utilised our  full quota.  All of us fans had almost given up, although Sandhu's bowling of Greenidge was spectacular. (He had actually shouldered arm, only to find the ball coming in and knocking his off stump). However that brought in Richards and the way he went about  hammering us, I remember, most of us preferred to look elsewhere. His strokes were so brutal that it  almost seemed as if he was lashing each one of us (fans) physically. I felt sick in the stomach (I felt exactly the same when Ponting got stuck in to us in WC03 final in Jo'burg). I haven't seen too many better catches than Kapil's catch of Richards that day. I think they were some 57-58 for 3 when Richards was gone.

Then, one of those delightful things which were a part of Doordarshan's coverage those days, happened.  The match coverage was interrupted for some "National Transmission" from Delhi. (As an aside, our 21" Dayanora black and white TV bought for Rs. 3010/- was our only prized possession at that time. I think our parents had saved Rs10 per month in the postal savings for years and years to be able to fulfil the demand of my brother and mine for a TV).

During this forced break, all of us were fretting and fuming and trying to find out what was going on. We had an old rickety transistor at home with which we were lucky if we could tune into Vividh Bharati, so getting BBC commentary etc. was almost impossible. Neither any of my friends nor we had phones at home so calling anyone to find out what was going on was also out. And then as suddenly as the Cricket transmission had gone off, it came back  on and we saw Lloyd limping and getting out. Some 60 odd for 5. Enough to believe in  God and miracles again. The atmosphere after the win was like Diwali, Eid and Christmas all coming together, and that too  in June. People did absolutely outrageous things on the streets but no one minded. Everyone understood!!

C&B : thanks for taking me down memory lane.
Oh boy... I still choke up when I read this description of that day!!
I can tell you each and every minute of that night..
1. My train ride from Rajahmundry to Kakinada (because we did not have TV transmission in Rajahmundry)
2. Fifteen of us sitting in front of a black and white Dayonara in a TV shop..with sometimes fuzzy pictures
3. Srikanth's incredible start ..up
4. 183 all out ..down
5. Sandhu bowling out Greenidge ..up
6. DD break .. tension
7. Amarnath's dibbly/dobbly run up and crucial wickets ..up
8.  Indian win .. Nirvana!!
9. The train ride back home .. the entire train and all the stations in between were partying
10. REaching home at 5AM and dancing with friends till Noon ..mom, making sweets..everyone sharing sweets!!
..and at 2PM, the father of one of my close friends who was hospitalized for diabetes-related complications, passed away!. What a day!!

Makes me wonder what 1983 was like...tell us more, oh people older than me!

I was in Bombay as Mumbai was know then, I think the next day was a school day...I was all of 12 then and watched the match on our EC TV (my dad would'nt buy Dyanora because it was not manufactured by a "reliable" manufacturer (read not government)).  I was allowed to be up till late at night( I think the match got over only after 12 in the night).

Late night did not seem like it, it was almost like Diwali, Ganpati all happened a month or two early that year. People were out on the streets screaming, shouting, crackers dhol etc etc. Of course we had Mr Srinivasan in our building who couldnt understand what the fuss was all about and threatened to call the police if people did not leave but who was going to listen.

The next day though I think was a anti climax because in my class I think only two or three of us had actually watched the match and even I had missed the Kapil catch (saw the replay though).

[LosingNow]

Of course we had Mr Srinivasan in our building who couldnt understand what the fuss was all about and threatened to call the police if people did not leave but who was going to listen.

Ha ha ..and the Varma Auntie in our building. These oldies never got it!!

[dextrous]

These are giving me a new short story idea. Someone tell me more about India that month in 1983 -- political situation, social situation, globalization effect. Of course, I can research, but this is easier 

[achutank]

dex on the political front


the khalistan movement was at its worst, brindranwale was sitting in the golden temple

thousands of tamil refugees were pouring in to TN following cessation calls by the LTTE

rajeev gandhi was all set to take over the congress from mama

the first of the kashmiri terrorsit groups were being banded along with the violent student unions of assom

BJP had just been formed, a year later they would win one seat  - Advani

thumps up was the national drink

children all over the country were seeing 8 reruns a day of the asiad opening and closing ceremony in their neighbour's colour TV

mgr annoited jayalalitha as successor, and he was going to konk it

ntr was riding a wave of 2 re a kg rice polpularity and either he had already set off on his rath yatra or was going to

so was sunil datt on his way to punjab on foot with namrata datt, while son was in rehab

DD went live on the day before the match at 8.23 pm to announce who got JFK. but alas the newscaster was beaten to the telecast by the "Sorry for the break" department.

i got my first pair of coudroy jeans

as usual kapil dev saved that year from being a total disaster

[Libran]

And a selective few mocked at the Indian victory the next day...called it a fluke..
And 23 years later, they still do..and a few have joined them to additionally mock 15 k runs and 34 centuries

A few years from now, they will mock the big little man's 90 centuries and 30K runs also...

In decades, nothing has changed and nothing will.....

[sudzz]

dex on the political front


the khalistan movement was at its worst, brindranwale was sitting in the golden temple

thousands of tamil refugees were pouring in to TN following cessation calls by the LTTE

rajeev gandhi was all set to take over the congress from mama

the first of the kashmiri terrorsit groups were being banded along with the violent student unions of assom

BJP had just been formed, a year later they would win one seat  - Advani

thumps up was the national drink

children all over the country were seeing 8 reruns a day of the asiad opening and closing ceremony in their neighbour's colour TV

mgr annoited jayalalitha as successor, and he was going to konk it

ntr was riding a wave of 2 re a kg rice polpularity and either he had already set off on his rath yatra or was going to

so was sunil datt on his way to punjab on foot with namrata datt, while son was in rehab

DD went live on the day before the match at 8.23 pm to announce who got JFK. but alas the newscaster was beaten to the telecast by the "Sorry for the break" department.

i got my first pair of coudroy jeans

as usual kapil dev saved that year from being a total disaster

i got my first pair of coudroy jeans -Me too and threw away my last pair of bell bottomed pants

[dhruvdeepak]

dex on the political front


the khalistan movement was at its worst, brindranwale was sitting in the golden temple

thousands of tamil refugees were pouring in to TN following cessation calls by the LTTE

rajeev gandhi was all set to take over the congress from mama

the first of the kashmiri terrorsit groups were being banded along with the violent student unions of assom

BJP had just been formed, a year later they would win one seat  - Advani

thumps up was the national drink

children all over the country were seeing 8 reruns a day of the asiad opening and closing ceremony in their neighbour's colour TV

mgr annoited jayalalitha as successor, and he was going to konk it

ntr was riding a wave of 2 re a kg rice polpularity and either he had already set off on his rath yatra or was going to

so was sunil datt on his way to punjab on foot with namrata datt, while son was in rehab

DD went live on the day before the match at 8.23 pm to announce who got JFK. but alas the newscaster was beaten to the telecast by the "Sorry for the break" department.

i got my first pair of coudroy jeans

as usual kapil dev saved that year from being a total disaster

i got my first pair of coudroy jeans -Me too and threw away my last pair of bell bottomed pants

my dad was in the same boat - out with the bell bottoms and in with corduroys. you guys are old 

[toney]

Oh boy, this is the most beautiful thread ever on this forum.

[Rocky]

Vijay, INOC, Penlax, Ruchir, DD, Ramshorn and others are all correct in their own assessments. Although the Indians were quietly confident of doing well, it is a fact that most of the bigger teams didn’t take us too seriously then. We had indeed defeated WI just a little before the World Cup (in Barbice  if I can remember correctly) and also in the initial rounds of that WC,  still the WI were absolutely mighty those days and hence nobody gave us any chance at all in the final. I remember the mood very clearly during the break when we had just managed to score 183. It used to be  a 60 over game those days and we hadn't even utilised our  full quota.  All of us fans had almost given up, although Sandhu's bowling of Greenidge was spectacular. (He had actually shouldered arm, only to find the ball coming in and knocking his off stump). However that brought in Richards and the way he went about  hammering us, I remember, most of us preferred to look elsewhere. His strokes were so brutal that it  almost seemed as if he was lashing each one of us (fans) physically. I felt sick in the stomach (I felt exactly the same when Ponting got stuck in to us in WC03 final in Jo'burg). I haven't seen too many better catches than Kapil's catch of Richards that day. I think they were some 57-58 for 3 when Richards was gone.

Then, one of those delightful things which were a part of Doordarshan's coverage those days, happened.  The match coverage was interrupted for some "National Transmission" from Delhi. (As an aside, our 21" Dayanora black and white TV bought for Rs. 3010/- was our only prized possession at that time. I think our parents had saved Rs10 per month in the postal savings for years and years to be able to fulfil the demand of my brother and mine for a TV).

During this forced break, all of us were fretting and fuming and trying to find out what was going on. We had an old rickety transistor at home with which we were lucky if we could tune into Vividh Bharati, so getting BBC commentary etc. was almost impossible. Neither any of my friends nor we had phones at home so calling anyone to find out what was going on was also out. And then as suddenly as the Cricket transmission had gone off, it came back  on and we saw Lloyd limping and getting out. Some 60 odd for 5. Enough to believe in  God and miracles again. The atmosphere after the win was like Diwali, Eid and Christmas all coming together, and that too  in June. People did absolutely outrageous things on the streets but no one minded. Everyone understood!!

C&B : thanks for taking me down memory lane.
Oh boy... I still choke up when I read this description of that day!!
I can tell you each and every minute of that night..
1. My train ride from Rajahmundry to Kakinada (because we did not have TV transmission in Rajahmundry)
2. Fifteen of us sitting in front of a black and white Dayonara in a TV shop..with sometimes fuzzy pictures
3. Srikanth's incredible start ..up
4. 183 all out ..down
5. Sandhu bowling out Greenidge ..up
6. DD break .. tension
7. Amarnath's dibbly/dobbly run up and crucial wickets ..up
8.  Indian win .. Nirvana!!
9. The train ride back home .. the entire train and all the stations in between were partying
10. REaching home at 5AM and dancing with friends till Noon ..mom, making sweets..everyone sharing sweets!!
..and at 2PM, the father of one of my close friends who was hospitalized for diabetes-related complications, passed away!. What a day!!

Makes me wonder what 1983 was like...tell us more, oh people older than me!

I was in Bombay as Mumbai was know then, I think the next day was a school day...I was all of 12 then and watched the match on our EC TV (my dad would'nt buy Dyanora because it was not manufactured by a "reliable" manufacturer (read not government)).  I was allowed to be up till late at night( I think the match got over only after 12 in the night).

Late night did not seem like it, it was almost like Diwali, Ganpati all happened a month or two early that year. People were out on the streets screaming, shouting, crackers dhol etc etc. Of course we had Mr Srinivasan in our building who couldnt understand what the fuss was all about and threatened to call the police if people did not leave but who was going to listen.

The next day though I think was a anti climax because in my class I think only two or three of us had actually watched the match and even I had missed the Kapil catch (saw the replay though).

Had to listen to the end of the match on my transistor radio as "lights out" was declared at home after the nine o'clock news on TV.

[caught and bowled]

Losing, thanks for your comments on my WC83 win post. Wonder how I didnt see them.

What was 1983 like : yes I think bellbottomed trousers and long/broad collared shirts were out by then, the long hair set over your ears (a la Rajesh Khanna) were also going out of fashion. Corduroys had made their appearance a few years before, I must say.Wrangler jeans and corduroys would estblish your credentials either as real fashoinable well off person or somebody with a generous cousin in the US. Two in one stereo casettes recorders were a rage if you could affrod them. If you had a colour TV you were rich and cars were for seriously rich people.

Rajesh Khanna's star was on the wane. Amitabh was the reigning superstar but had got into that phase where slowly his badly chosen movies were flopping. Disco was considered hip in Hindi movies. Bhappi Lahiri was stealing English tunes and passing them off in the form of disco numbers on which Mithun would dance. Heroines were still virgins and cleavage was shown only by vamps. Kapildev was saying Pomolive da jawwab nahin in between those songs on Chhayageet or Chitrahar on TV. And as someone has said below, Doordarshan showed the slide saying " Rukawat ke liye khed hai" a lot more times than showing actual programmes.

[dhruvdeepak]

Losing, thanks for your comments on my WC83 win post. Wonder how I didnt see them.

What was 1983 like : yes I think bellbottomed trousers and long/broad collared shirts were out by then, the long hair set over your ears (a la Rajesh Khanna) were also going out of fashion. Corduroys had made their appearance a few years before, I must say.Wrangler jeans and corduroys would estblish your credentials either as real fashoinable well off person or somebody with a generous cousin in the US. Two in one stereo casettes recorders were a rage if you could affrod them. If you had a colour TV you were rich and cars were for seriously rich people.

Rajesh Khanna's star was on the wane. Amitabh was the reigning superstar but had got into that phase where slowly his badly chosen movies were flopping. Disco was considered hip in Hindi movies. Bhappi Lahiri was stealing English tunes and passing them off in the form of disco numbers on which Mithun would dance. Heroines were still virgins and cleavage was shown only by vamps. Kapildev was saying Pomolive da jawwab nahin in between those songs on Chhayageet or Chitrahar on TV. And as someone has said below, Doordarshan showed the slide saying " Rukawat ke liye khed hai" a lot more times than showing actual programmes.

wow, what nostalgia. well done everyone on the brilliant posts taking us back to that day and age. you get the idea that India was a young, naive and unassuming nation, just ready to break out of her cocoon and show the world what she possessed. this '83 WC win was the unveiling of one of her treasures -  the cricket team. all you guys relating your version of events show how much of a luxury it was to even have a TV in those days - makes you wonder what all we take for granted now!
what a superb following cricket must have had in those days - imagine the hardship of not ever being able to watch the sport live except in your local stadium. the following for domestic cricket must have been great and it would take a REAL fan to follow his national team's fortunes through newspaper clippings and transistor radio.

i feel sad for not being a part of all that, but i hope the current team and the ones in the future can live up to the expectations of a nation that has been behind it through so much.

[toney]

dd,
I was reminded of something when you mentioned that TV was a luxury in India at one point of time. In those days, when there was very little or no live cricket on TV, one of the greatest pasttimes was listening to excellent commentary on the radio. I dont know if you have listened to any (since you are a yengster of barely legal drinking age ) but some of those commentators made it possible to visualize the game, almost as if you were actually in the ground. IMO, radio cricket commentary of that quality doesnt exist anymore.

[suraj]

You guys are too much- taking me back into the years and time period that I had forgotten:

- As toney's post said transistor was the real "eyes"- one fo the best "family" times I remember is when matches would fall on holidays and the whole family would sit out in the sun in our "verandah" listening to the radio as the match was broadcast yelling and screaming at each 4, 6 and opponents' wkt fall. Infact the whole neighbourhood was busy doing that so the celebration was reverbate dall throughout the street. "Maunfali" was freely distributed while listening and moms literally had to force lunch break.

The doors to each house were open as the matches became a social occassions where "Uncles" would end up discussing politics with each other while sipping tea and younger guys could be heard cursing each player who got out.

- TV purchase was an occasion for the whole neighbourhood to celebrate. After yrs of going to a "rich" neighbour's home to watch Chitrahar and Sunday movie, the day our Black and White TV came the whole neighbourhood was invited.Even the "rich" family watched TV at our place that day and everyone "congratulated" us on that achievement. Despite my hi-def big screen TV with home entertainment etc etc now, I have never felt the pleasure that I felt at owning that first B&W TV

- 83 final was the same story as everyone told with the black out, listening to battery operated radio and the elation over the victory. Even at night neighbours came to greet each other and distributed sweets

- There was no comp or internet (Yes DD and DY; there was once human life without internet!!!) so the next day everyone wanted to read the newspapers highlighting India's glorious victory despite already knowing what happened

- Since Ashok Malhotra and Yashpal Sharma were dad's colleagues, celebrations at SBI were prolonged and went on for a while

Indira ruled the roost, our annual visits to Punjab became scary because of terrorist problems, Wedneday night and Sunday night were huge because of Chitrahaar and Hindi movie, every young man wanted to be the angry young man, gay still meany happy & guys could hug without being labelled "homos", Britannia and Modern bread competed at Rs 2.00 per loaf and a glass of water at the roadside trolley cost 5 paisa.

[dhruvdeepak]

- There was no comp or internet (Yes DD and DY; there was once human life without internet!!!) so the next day everyone wanted to read the newspapers highlighting India's glorious victory despite already knowing what happened

hey hey. i know what it is to be introduced to the concept of internet for the first time. "there was once human life without internet" type generation would be reserved for my brother i guess. it was around 95 or 96 (not sure) and my dad was one of the ppl on the team responsible for bringing the int'net to the UAE. he would enhance our curiositywith chats regularly in the evening about what a revolution it was etc etc and his difficulty in getting corporations such as Emirates airlines to understand how important it was.

i was 11 or 12 when i first got around to using it properly, i learnt all about how it worked and starting corresponding with e - pen-pals (guess what we had in common - cricket). my dad would come home in the afternoons with printouts of the emails for me to read. then came cricinfo and scorecards and i would spend hours looking up old matches and would chat with my dad about them.

to be honest it doesnt seem very long ago since i became a regular internet user - my own email account, msn, ball-by-ball coverage following of cricket, my own website, pRon (cmon let's not deny it), and such things all ranging from 5-7 yrs ago. and now we're at the DG era, with 45 days, 10 hours and 41 minutes clocked and counting.

[caught and bowled]

dd,
I was reminded of something when you mentioned that TV was a luxury in India at one point of time. In those days, when there was very little or no live cricket on TV, one of the greatest pasttimes was listening to excellent commentary on the radio. I dont know if you have listened to any (since you are a yengster of barely legal drinking age ) but some of those commentators made it possible to visualize the game, almost as if you were actually in the ground. IMO, radio cricket commentary of that quality doesnt exist anymore.

You are on the money Toney...Anant Setalvad, Bobby Talyarkhan, Suresh Saraiyya, Pearson Surita, Dr. Narottam Puri's father were the English commentators. Each with his own style, but all very good.  Rajsingh Dungerpur, much hated   on this DG, was an excellent commentator and would also be an "expert" once in a while.  With Rajsingh, teaming up with Anant Setalvad and Dicky Ratnauger and Toney Cosier, you would  have one of the best listening experiences in terms of English language, discription of the game, technical expertise all put together. None of today's  TV experts with all their gadgets can match it..

Then there was Jasdev Singh (basically a hindi commentator for Hockey - absolutely sensational) and Sushil Doshi doing it in Hindi. Jasdev was not the same when it came to Cricket but Sushil Doshi was pure poetry.

[toney]

C&B,
Some famous names in there. I have never heard of Jasdev Singh though.
I wonder if anyone can get a few audio files of some famous commentary.

[caught and bowled]

C&B,
Some famous names in there. I have never heard of Jasdev Singh though.
I wonder if anyone can get a few audio files of some famous commentary.

Jasdev Singh, a Sardar, was exceptional when describing hockey...I remember listening to him during all the Olympic and Asian games hockey mathces during the 70s and 80s. His speciality was being able to keep up with the ball as it was being passed around. He would talk with frenetic pace, build up the excitment and then end with " Lekin.........." as the ball would be cleared or dispossed. Hockey fans of those days would swear by him.

He moved to Cricket in the 80s I think, but was not the same.....I can still hear him in my head " Shivlal Yadav ki agli gend, off stump ke bahar, aur usko ballebaj ne dhirese turn kar diya hai short midwicket ki taraf. Koi run nahin..."

We should let these young tech wizards on the DG look for the audio files. I could possibly cry if I were to listen to any of these guys again...

[LosingNow]

dd,
I was reminded of something when you mentioned that TV was a luxury in India at one point of time. In those days, when there was very little or no live cricket on TV, one of the greatest pasttimes was listening to excellent commentary on the radio. I dont know if you have listened to any (since you are a yengster of barely legal drinking age ) but some of those commentators made it possible to visualize the game, almost as if you were actually in the ground. IMO, radio cricket commentary of that quality doesnt exist anymore.

You are on the money Toney...Anant Setalvad, Bobby Talyarkhan, Suresh Saraiyya, Pearson Surita, Dr. Narottam Puri's father were the English commentators. Each with his own style, but all very good.  Rajsingh Dungerpur, much hated   on this DG, was an excellent commentator and would also be an "expert" once in a while.  With Rajsingh, teaming up with Anant Setalvad and Dicky Ratnauger and Toney Cosier, you would  have one of the best listening experiences in terms of English language, discription of the game, technical expertise all put together. None of today's  TV experts with all their gadgets can match it..

Then there was Jasdev Singh (basically a hindi commentator for Hockey - absolutely sensational) and Sushil Doshi doing it in Hindi. Jasdev was not the same when it came to Cricket but Sushil Doshi was pure poetry.

Sushil Doshi was a genius. He shot into the limelight by his description of the waning moments of the famous drawn Oval test when Gavaskar scored a double century ..with lines like this..
"Khel ne ekdum romanchak mod le liya hain. Main is waqt un sabse jo ki dil ke marij hain, yeh nivedan karta hoon ki weh apna radio band kar de"

His description always painted the field and action for the listener so that the listener could visualize the entire action..
"Tapmaan tevis dashmlav 3 degree centigrade. Aasman main todhe se badal. Teen slip, ek gully, ek point, ek cover, ek midwicket .. aur Kapil ki agli gaind, off stump ke bahar se andar aati hui, greenidge khelne ki liye front foot pain aye aur gaind unke balle ka bheetri kinara leke fineleg ki taraf chali gay..waha par use sharma ne field kiya aur ballebaj ne asani si ek ran daud ke poora kiya. Greenidge ka score ekkis aur west indies ka score chawalis bager kissi nuksan ke"

Incredible stuff!!

Further, Lala Amarnath's expert commentary still brings a smile to my face..
"If Mohinder was at the crease, he would have hooked the ball"

[sudzz]

dd,
I was reminded of something when you mentioned that TV was a luxury in India at one point of time. In those days, when there was very little or no live cricket on TV, one of the greatest pasttimes was listening to excellent commentary on the radio. I dont know if you have listened to any (since you are a yengster of barely legal drinking age ) but some of those commentators made it possible to visualize the game, almost as if you were actually in the ground. IMO, radio cricket commentary of that quality doesnt exist anymore.

You are on the money Toney...Anant Setalvad, Bobby Talyarkhan, Suresh Saraiyya, Pearson Surita, Dr. Narottam Puri's father were the English commentators. Each with his own style, but all very good.  Rajsingh Dungerpur, much hated   on this DG, was an excellent commentator and would also be an "expert" once in a while.  With Rajsingh, teaming up with Anant Setalvad and Dicky Ratnauger and Toney Cosier, you would  have one of the best listening experiences in terms of English language, discription of the game, technical expertise all put together. None of today's  TV experts with all their gadgets can match it..

Then there was Jasdev Singh (basically a hindi commentator for Hockey - absolutely sensational) and Sushil Doshi doing it in Hindi. Jasdev was not the same when it came to Cricket but Sushil Doshi was pure poetry.

Sushil Doshi was a genius. He shot into the limelight by his description of the waning moments of the famous drawn Oval test when Gavaskar scored a double century ..with lines like this..
"Khel ne ekdum romanchak mod le liya hain. Main is waqt un sabse jo ki dil ke marij hain, yeh nivedan karta hoon ki weh apna radio band kar de"

His description always painted the field and action for the listener so that the listener could visualize the entire action..
"Tapmaan tevis dashmlav 3 degree centigrade. Aasman main todhe se badal. Teen slip, ek gully, ek point, ek cover, ek midwicket .. aur Kapil ki agli gaind, off stump ke bahar se andar aati hui, greenidge khelne ki liye front foot pain aye aur gaind unke balle ka bheetri kinara leke fineleg ki taraf chali gay..waha par use sharma ne field kiya aur ballebaj ne asani si ek ran daud ke poora kiya. Greenidge ka score ekkis aur west indies ka score chawalis bager kissi nuksan ke"

Incredible stuff!!

Further, Lala Amarnath's expert commentary still brings a smile to my face..
"If Mohinder was at the crease, he would have hooked the ball"

This was also the time when watching the republic day parade was a matter of pride and to scream "Jai Hind" when Indira unfurled the tricolor.

For those that mentioned Sushil Doshi, there was also Ravi Chaturvedi or was it Abhay Chaturvedi whose terse commentary was also nice but not as good as Doshi..

It was also the time serials were getting launched on DD, Buniyaad, Hum Log, Sunday morning serials (Mr Ya Mrs),first fully indigenous Sci Fi serial (on cloning if you would believe it) and of course Yeh Joh Hai Zindagi, Nukkad etc.

For those in Mumbai-TV had Fireball XL5, Goodies, History of Man etc.

I remember Sunday evening movies..our cricket game would get rudely interrupted when someone's mother called out saying ad's have started for the movie. The next convening would be only at 7:30 pm during "Batmya" news in Marathi but by then it would be late to play yet we would be debating who was out and how so that the game could resume the next day.

I dont know whether Achu remembers "Phool Khile hai Gulshan Gulshan"

Sunehir yaaden as they say.

[Libran]

And the pride on the face of Madam Gandhi with the  Prudential Cup....along with the victorious team...Incredible few days after the Victory when every Indian felt the real pride of being Indian....

And in a few months followed the brilliant


Mrs Gandhi : Aapko Bharat wahan se kaise dikhta Hain

Sq Ldr Rakesh Sharma : "Sare Jahan se Accha "

Those were the days.....

[caught and bowled]

Ravi,

Honestly, for those guys sake who were not around or were too young to remember, I hope we win the WC . I can still  remember the feeling of exhilaration, sheer ecstasy brought on by WC83 and World Championship  85 wins. It felt great to be an Indian - real top of the world feeling. I hope we get to experience that again soon.

Sudzz

I remember Fireball XL5. Phool Khile Hai Gulshan Gulshan with Tabassum wearing flowers in her hair,  "Baatmya" and then there was also the totally exasperating "Aamchi Maati Aamchi Manse". Then the Sports Round Up on Mumbai TV would be done by the permanently grinning Fredun de Vitre

I think, it was Ravi Chaturvedi. There were others too  doing Hindi commentary. Just can't remember the names.

Losing now

You took the words out of my mouth ….I was going to talk about Sushil Doshi during the Oval test in 78 (?) where Gavaskar scored a double and the match was drawn because we couldn’t score the last 8-9 runs chasing 438 or something. I remember that match as much for the excitement of the game as for Sushil Doshi's commentary which was exactly the way you have described. Great stuff. Many, many thanks.

 As the match was coming to a great finish, I remember being pushed out by  my mother to buy something. It was night time in Mumbai and raining and I  remember being absolutely glued to the small transistor (the on-off button had to be held in a certain position by inserting a train ticket or a folded bus ticket for it to function…) while running that errand while Sushil Doshi was advising the Dil ke Mareej to stay off..

A million applauses to all of you...

[sudzz]

And the pride on the face of Madam Gandhi with the  Prudential Cup....along with the victorious team...Incredible few days after the Victory when every Indian felt the real pride of being Indian....

And in a few months followed the brilliant


Mrs Gandhi : Aapko Bharat wahan se kaise dikhta Hain

Sq Ldr Rakesh Sharma : "Sare Jahan se Accha "

Those were the days.....

Mrs Gandhi : Aapko Bharat wahan se kaise dikhta Hain

Sq Ldr Rakesh Sharma : Sach Much "Sare Jahan se Accha "

Those were the days.....

Do you also remember this guy got kissed on the lips by another Russian cosmonaut.

[arjun]

dd,
I was reminded of something when you mentioned that TV was a luxury in India at one point of time. In those days, when there was very little or no live cricket on TV, one of the greatest pasttimes was listening to excellent commentary on the radio. I dont know if you have listened to any (since you are a yengster of barely legal drinking age ) but some of those commentators made it possible to visualize the game, almost as if you were actually in the ground. IMO, radio cricket commentary of that quality doesnt exist anymore.

I agree. Totally. Anant Setalvad is one commentator I remember. He was terrific!

[Libran]

Ravi,

Honestly, for those guys sake who were not around or were too young to remember, I hope we win the WC . I can still  remember the feeling of exhilaration, sheer ecstasy brought on by WC83 and World Championship  85 wins. It felt great to be an Indian - real top of the world feeling. I hope we get to experience that again soon.

Sudzz

I remember Fireball XL5. Phool Khile Hai Gulshan Gulshan with Tabassum wearing flowers in her hair,  "Baatmya" and then there was also the totally exasperating "Aamchi Maati Aamchi Manse". Then the Sports Round Up on Mumbai TV would be done by the permanently grinning Fredun de Vitre

I think, it was Ravi Chaturvedi. There were others too  doing Hindi commentary. Just can't remember the names.

Losing now

You took the words out of my mouth ….I was going to talk about Sushil Doshi during the Oval test in 78 (?) where Gavaskar scored a double and the match was drawn because we couldn’t score the last 8-9 runs chasing 438 or something. I remember that match as much for the excitement of the game as for Sushil Doshi's commentary which was exactly the way you have described. Great stuff. Many, many thanks.

 As the match was coming to a great finish, I remember being pushed out by  my mother to buy something. It was night time in Mumbai and raining and I  remember being absolutely glued to the small transistor (the on-off button had to be held in a certain position by inserting a train ticket or a folded bus ticket for it to function…) while running that errand while Sushil Doshi was advising the Dil ke Mareej to stay off..

A million applauses to all of you...

I also remember Raju Bharatan...not very often on Radio but he would provide the back drop voice for the cricket movies..the famous one being the Eng v India matches...the one which had Tony Grieg lifting GR Vishwanath after his century...This guy also used to write for Illustrated Weekly

[Libran]

'85 was a completely different experience. The first of the Channel 9 telecasts beemed into India. Early morning alarms, hot cup of coffee whil India was steamrolling the opponents...The angry duck across the screen, the varied angles, the villianous pad buckle of Howarth, the Kapil Dev yorker to Qasim Omar,Srikkanth's dropped catch of Lance Cairns and subsequently taking it, SMG's lowering of his sun hat to cover his amusement, Kapil and DV taking us to victory in the SF, Srikkanth's blitzkrieg against Eng with special treatment to Norman Cowans

Amazing games...childhood memories will remain etched...

For those who think that Jayasuriya was the first proponent of hitting "over the top" in the first 15, watch these matches.......

[caught and bowled]

'85 was a completely different experience. The first of the Channel 9 telecasts beemed into India. Early morning alarms, hot cup of coffee whil India was steamrolling the opponents...The angry duck across the screen, the varied angles, the villianous pad buckle of Howarth, the Kapil Dev yorker to Qasim Omar,Srikkanth's dropped catch of Lance Cairns and subsequently taking it, SMG's lowering of his sun hat to cover his amusement, Kapil and DV taking us to victory in the SF, Srikkanth's blitzkrieg against Eng with special treatment to Norman Cowans

Amazing games...childhood memories will remain etched...

For those who think that Jayasuriya was the first proponent of hitting "over the top" in the first 15, watch these matches.......

Childhood…?? I was already a corporate slave by then. Anyway, yes I remember all those things mentioned by you about 85. The Indian team didn’t lose a single match in that tournament and beat all the stalwarts on their way to the final (except WI who were in the other group). The enduring memory of course is  all the team members all over the place in Ravi Shastri's Audi Quattro….after the final

And yes I remember Raju Bharatan too. Wish I could remember all others….

[sudzz]

Ravi,

Honestly, for those guys sake who were not around or were too young to remember, I hope we win the WC . I can still  remember the feeling of exhilaration, sheer ecstasy brought on by WC83 and World Championship  85 wins. It felt great to be an Indian - real top of the world feeling. I hope we get to experience that again soon.

Sudzz

I remember Fireball XL5. Phool Khile Hai Gulshan Gulshan with Tabassum wearing flowers in her hair,  "Baatmya" and then there was also the totally exasperating "Aamchi Maati Aamchi Manse". Then the Sports Round Up on Mumbai TV would be done by the permanently grinning Fredun de Vitre

I think, it was Ravi Chaturvedi. There were others too  doing Hindi commentary. Just can't remember the names.

Losing now

You took the words out of my mouth ….I was going to talk about Sushil Doshi during the Oval test in 78 (?) where Gavaskar scored a double and the match was drawn because we couldn’t score the last 8-9 runs chasing 438 or something. I remember that match as much for the excitement of the game as for Sushil Doshi's commentary which was exactly the way you have described. Great stuff. Many, many thanks.

 As the match was coming to a great finish, I remember being pushed out by  my mother to buy something. It was night time in Mumbai and raining and I  remember being absolutely glued to the small transistor (the on-off button had to be held in a certain position by inserting a train ticket or a folded bus ticket for it to function…) while running that errand while Sushil Doshi was advising the Dil ke Mareej to stay off..

A million applauses to all of you...

I also remember Raju Bharatan...not very often on Radio but he would provide the back drop voice for the cricket movies..the famous one being the Eng v India matches...the one which had Tony Grieg lifting GR Vishwanath after his century...This guy also used to write for Illustrated Weekly

He was a man far ahead of his times and therefore villified a lot and he was acerbic as well. Very eloquent and probably very well read therefore many of his analogies and examples would be difficult to understand.

I remember the guy.

[Libran]

'85 was a completely different experience. The first of the Channel 9 telecasts beemed into India. Early morning alarms, hot cup of coffee whil India was steamrolling the opponents...The angry duck across the screen, the varied angles, the villianous pad buckle of Howarth, the Kapil Dev yorker to Qasim Omar,Srikkanth's dropped catch of Lance Cairns and subsequently taking it, SMG's lowering of his sun hat to cover his amusement, Kapil and DV taking us to victory in the SF, Srikkanth's blitzkrieg against Eng with special treatment to Norman Cowans

Amazing games...childhood memories will remain etched...

For those who think that Jayasuriya was the first proponent of hitting "over the top" in the first 15, watch these matches.......

Childhood…?? I was already a corporate slave by then. Anyway, yes I remember all those things mentioned by you about 85. The Indian team didn’t lose a single match in that tournament and beat all the stalwarts on their way to the final (except WI who were in the other group). The enduring memory of course is  all the team members all over the place in Ravi Shastri's Audi Quattro….after the final

And yes I remember Raju Bharatan too. Wish I could remember all others….

Except for the finals ,they bowled out all their opponents....LS , Shastri , Amarnath , Kapil .....not a bad attack,was it ?