Team India has the potential to win another World Cup: Kapil

Bangalore, June 3 (UNI) Cricket legend Kapil Dev today said Team India had the potential to win the World Cup again if it plays with team spirit.

Cherishing the glorious day of the team captained by him winning the World Cup in 1983 at Lords at a felicitation function organised by BCCI and the UB Group here, he said, ''We have better cricketers, what is needed is that we should play as one unit and as a team each and every player should think positively and achieve the goal.'' Recalling the crucial moment when his team was struggling at 17 for five against Zimbabwe in quarterfinals, the World Cup winning team skipper, who remained unbeaten at 175 to drive his team to Semifinal, said, ''we were under great pressure but there was a kind of spirit that driven us. As we touched 50 mark there was little boost, but when the score reached 100 and went to cross 200 it was great movement and with superb bowlers like Madan Lal, Sadhu (Balvinder Singh) we could enter semifinals.'' He said even Journalists, who had termed the Indian team as under dogs, did not expect the team to defeat Australia and England leave alone the defending Champions West Indies.

The win against Zimbabwe was the turning point and it was best inning I had ever seen and I could not have achieved it without partnership with Kirmani(Syed) and Binny (Rogar), Kapil added.

Replying to a question, he said Captain would not have any pressure when the team is winning.

To another question, he said Clive (Loyd) was the most dangers player he was worried about more than Richards during the World Cup.

Speaking on the occasion Sunil Gavaskar said, it was a privilege to be part of the World Cup winning team and the catch taken by Kapil to dismiss Vivian Richards was the finest still.

BCCI General Secretary Nirajan Shah said the Board would hold a special event in Delhi on June 22 to felicitate the players of 1983 World Cup team.

The entire team would be touring Lords on June 25 to celebrate the Silver Jubilee of India winning the World Cup. This would be followed by a gala dinner hosted by the UB Group in London.

On this occasion Kapil Dev and Sunil Gavaskar presented a special cricket bat signed by the entire team of 1983, which would be encrusted with diamonds and auctioned by the UB group in association with an auction house.

The proceeds collected would be distributed among the team members.

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