Batting legend Sunil Gavaskar on Tuesday described Kapil Dev's unbeaten 175-run knock against Zimbabwe during India's successful 1983 World Cup campaign as the "best One-day innings" ever.
Gavaskar recalled that it was a match that India had to win to enter the semi-final.
"When you had lost half of your side with less than 20 runs on the board, obviously it was not looking good. But this gentleman (Kapil Dev) went out and played his innings...best innings I had seen in limited overs international.
"That 175 has to be in my view the greatest knock in the World Cup," Gavaskar said while speaking at a media meet, arranged by the UB Group.
The UB Group would host a gala dinner for the 1983 World Cup winning team in London on June 25 to mark the 25th anniversary of the historic triumph.
Kapil Dev said captaining the 1983 side was not difficult as everybody was playing well at the time.
He said even after he took that famous catch of Vivian Richards off Madan Lal, the final match was still open as Clive Lloyd was still at the crease.
"Lloyd was the most dangerous player", Kapil Dev said.
But Gavaskar insisted it was that catch indeed which took India to the last-four stage of the elite event.
"Kapil's 175 got us into semi-final...that catch (Richards) got us the final."
Members of the 1983 World Cup team, Roger Binny and Syed Kirmani, also shared their experience.
BCCI Secretary Niranjan Shah said the Board would hold a special event in Delhi on June 22 to felicitate the players of the 1983 team.
UB Group officials said the the entire 1983 World Cup winning team would be touring the Lord's on June 25.
Kapil Dev and Gavaskar also presented a special cricket bat signed by World Cup winning team. The bat would be encrusted with diamonds and auctioned by the UB Group in association with auction house e-bay.
The proceeds of the auction would go to the members of the 1983 team, officials said.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
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