On this 25^th anniversary of India’s world cup win in Lords, I just thought of looking back and comparing the win with another could have been – the 2003 world cup. We were up against the odds in both the occasions – we managed to hold our fort in 1983, we almost did it till the first over was bowled in 2003 WC final. I have heard/read/seen highlights many a times of the 1983 triumph but did not see/hear it live and do not have the slightest of reminiscence of that wonderful moment in my deepest of memories. I was a small kid then and hardly knew if a game like cricket existed on this planet.

I was past several years of my adulthood in 2003 with a resume boasting of following the game closely for almost a decade and a half. I still remember the entire world cup, the build up before that and the aftermath.

To start of, no one expected anything from India in 1983. Even a couple of victories would have been accepted as joyous moments. India left the shores with the expectations of another “also-ran” world cups. Although lot is said about the team like how its all round abilities was the best in the tournament or how the swing bowlers were more lethal than the pace battery of even west indies or how brilliant our fielding was or the list goes on. But this all was in hindsight. To me, the biggest difference was between the teams played in previous editions of Prudential World Cups was the captain. Kapil Dev was a threat to an opposition in whatever he did – batting, bowling or fielding. In 1983 he proved his worth with his captaincy as well.

2003 was no different. India had changed to Team India. Teams no longer played in white dresses and the so called “Pajama Cricket” was more of a rule than norm in ODIs. They had been doing reasonably well in the past couple of years in both ODIs and tests. They had started winning abroad in tests but the biggest difference was in ODIs. The senior batsmen were in the age bracket of 28-32, the best for a batsman. They had two new batsmen in Kaif and Yuvraj who were not only exceptional fielders but also had proved their worth in the batting line up many a times. They also had Sehwag at the top of the order who was not only more ferocious than 83’s fire cracker Srikanth but a better batsman overall. But the reason they were considered quite like if not exactly underdogs in 2003 because of what happened just before the world cup. India toured New Zealand just before the world cup where they played on such unplayable pitches that even the scores of 100 were looking like Himalayan with regularity. India was thrashed by 2-0 in tests and 5-2 in ODIs and apart from Sehwag, everyone else looked like a rookie – even New Zealanders in their own den. This made everyone forget about the good cricket they had played for almost a couple of years prior to this series. With the shameful defeat at the hands of Australians in the first league match, things became worse. Even the cricket pundits providing expert comments on various channels not only wrote them off but also painted them black. The team was more than an underdog after the first match. When the team won a few matches after the starting fiasco - a reporter asked Sourav Ganguly if had to say anything to the commentators and he charged back “Which one you want?”

Like Kapil, Ganguly was a great captain as well.

The similarity in both the WCs was that even after every win, no one expected any miracle – in 2003 I saw it and about 1983, I have heard the same. Both the teams slowly but surely started making their way towards the semi finals. With each, match a bit of confidence was building up – is there a miracle by any chance? The ferocity of the traditional Indo-Pak rivalry was not born in 1983 which was to be witnessed in the coming years. They did not play them either. In 2003, team India crossed another hurdle by beating Pakistan comprehensively. After 1992 when these two clashed for the first time in WC, a win over Pakistan is considered to be as good as a WC win.

The difference between the roads to semi finals in these two years was - India defeated the defending and the most likely champion West Indies in 1983 world cup. That must have given them the confidence they needed for the entire tournament. West Indies was not very much stretched for the rest of the tournament. They could have been surprised again.

India lost badly to Australia in 2003 in their first league match which dented their confidence. But the incidents off the field united Team India. Australia was stretched in very few matches in 2003 especially against. This match kept them alert.

In the semis, Team India in 2003 had a comparatively easier opponent in Kenya as compared to India’s opponent in 1983, England. With a berth in the finals, team India was ready in 2003 to repeat the success of 1983. But there were a few things different. The expectations were higher in 2003 and so were the stakes with so much money and fame had come into the game in 20 years. If in 1983 a berth in Finals would have been seen as well as victory, we expected the team India to actually win in 2003 and beat Australia. Just here we lost it. Team India has had a reputation of exceeding the expectations either which way – you expect them to flourish and they would fall down like a pack of cards, you expect them to burn out without fire and they rise like a phoenix from its own ashes. They had done the latter till now in the tournament, they did the former in the final.

For most of us, the match was lost in the very first over which set the Australian juggernaut rolling and they never looked back. Like West Indies in 1983, they did not let it slip by any means. Unlike India in 1983, team India didn’t even look like making a comeback but for a brief moment when Sehwag and Dravid had a partnership after Sachin departed early.    Like West Indies in 1983, Australians did not take the opponent as easily in 2003. Unlike India in 1983, team India let the pressure of big occasion tell its effect on their performance.

It’s the final which made all the difference between the two teams. 2003 finalist team, with all the experience in ODIs as compared to rookies of 1983, was the best Indian team ever to have played a World Cup on paper. They had many an ODI specialists in batting, bowling was better with the comeback of Srinath, a young Zaheer Khan and a very rarely fit but fiery Ashish Nehra. They did field well. All they lacked was a quality all rounder like Kapil Dev but they come once in a life time. Yet they lost because they caved into the pressure, the opposition would have been lesser in 83’s talent but more professional for sure which their record still tells and may be – a bad day.

Like every cloud has a silver lining - may be it was good that we did not win. We all know how vulgar our celebrations can get even for an ordinary series win now, may be the celebrations after the world cup victory could have scaled so much that it could have spoiled many a careers. Anyhow the coaches keep complaining about the superstar status some cricketers enjoy and how it has been hurting our cricket. But this is all hindsight and searching the blessing in disguise. On papers, we still have just one World Cup to our names and let’s just toast for Kapil’s Devils as of now.   

 - Vibhash