Not many gave India much of a chance in the 1985 World Championship of Cricket after they suffered a series loss in both versions of the game to David Gower's 1984-85 English tourists.
Not many gave India much of a chance in the 1985 World Championship of Cricket after they suffered a series loss in both versions of the game to David Gower's 1984-85 English tourists. But skipper Sunil Gavaskar, who had decided that the limited overs event would be his last as captain, had the last laugh... exactly 25 years ago when India beat Pakistan to clinch the World Championship of Cricket at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
He led an incredible team, which did not lose a single game throughout the tournament. Four out of five times they bowled out the opposition and their lone 'failure' to claim 10 wickets came in the final when Pakistan finished up with 176 for nine.
Krishnamachari Srikkanth and Ravi Shastri were involved in fruitful opening stands while young batting star Mohammed Azharuddin, fresh from his three hundreds in a row in the home Test series against England, proved what he could do on the world stage with a fine, unbeaten 93 against Pakistan in India's opener.
Despite India's fine win in the opener over Pakistan at Melbourne, England had good reason to fancy their chances against the Indians considering their recent success. But for them to say that their spin attack was superior to India's proved too hard to swallow for Shastri, who remembers reading a passage from the match preview which said, "Our spinners better than India and we should put it across."
Shastri decided to wake up his roommate and fellow spinner Laxman Sivaramakrishnan. "I read that and threw the paper at Siva and woke him up literally to the extent of saying, 'Get up and read it. By 11 that night it was history." He ended up getting an inauspicious 13, but claimed three wickets to send England packing to an 86-run defeat.
MiD DAY caught up with the former star, now a popular television commentator, to find out what went into that famous 1985 World Championship of Cricket win.
Excerpts
What was the feeling like when it was announced at the presentation after the final that you are the Champion of Champions?
It was the crowning moment of glory in my life, but more important than the Champion of Champions announcement was the fact that we beat Pakistan in the final.
Did the team heave a sigh of relief when Pakistan beat the West Indies in the semi-finals?
No, because the way we were playing we could have beaten anybody on the day and in my many ways, nothing gets bigger than beating Pakistan in the final.
What were the reputation stakes in the build-up to the final? Pakistan had Imran Khan, who was making a comeback after injury...
It was huge. Had we lost that final to Pakistan, it would have stayed a sore moment till today. Yes, Imran was in top form. In the chase, I had only one thing on my mind u2013 not to get out to him with the new ball in his first spell; play as much off him as possible and show real good body language which meant play him with authority.
Did the two low scores against Pakistan and England earlier in the tournament make you more determined?
That was very early in the tournament. After that, I was on a roll. I got fifties against Australia and New Zealand (before the unbeaten 63 in the final). I was not thinking negatively at all, there was not a negative bone in my body.
Did you reckon the game against New Zealand in Sydney was a critical one? That match could have gone either way...
Yes and they were a damn good side. I still feel that was probably New Zealand's best ever one-day side. I have not missed a beat in almost 30 years since I played my first Test against them (in 1981). That was the best all-round New Zealand side.
Mohammed Azharuddin always said that the 1985 WCC side was the best fielding outfit he was part of. Do you feel the same?
I think so. Guys like Siva and Azhar were tremendous in the circle. They would change matches with run outs and stuff. I don't think we dropped a catch in the entire tournament. Even if it was a catch it would have been a very difficult one, which someone must have put down. We practised damn hard right through that tournament and I don't think I have practised so much with any Indian team.
What was it that brought about a change in attitude to fielding?
You realise that to win something as big as that, you have got to be a damn good fielding side and I still maintain that if India have to win the World Cup next year, their fielding has to be outstanding. We had a wicketkeeper - Sadanand Vishwanath - in prime form and he was magnificent. He was the livewire of the team and made a huge difference.
The role of an opener has changed over the years in one-day cricket. What was your job then and what were you told?
I was not told anything. The good thing about that side was everyone knew his role. Nobody had to be told anything. Number two was on Australian pitches if you are batting second, it will do a bit; it will bounce under lights. Those were the first live games under lights coming into the sub-continent. Even if you were chasing a not-so-big total, the start was crucial. You had to be 50 for no loss or 50 for one rather than being 25 for three and getting into trouble.
What was so impressive and inspiring about Sunil Gavaskar's leadership in that tournament?
It was very clinical. He was ahead of the game. He knew exactly what to get out of his players. He understood each player and handled the side accordingly.
How much did the presence of former India off-spinner Erapalli Prasanna as manager help you?
Pras was a terrific manager and his knowledge was instrumental in many ways because he had bowled so well in Australia (Prasanna toured Australia in 1967-68 and 1977-78). We had a chat on many occasions where you had to decide on what length you bowl in Australia and it had to be fractionally shorter than what you bowl in India u2013 six to eight inches shorter. Because of your height you could get bounce and even a square cut could be caught at point and a sweep could be taken at square leg because of that extra bit of bounce, but you had to make that adjustment. Pras' knowledge there was invaluable.
Which dismissal during the tournament gave you the most satisfaction?
I don't remember, but there were few. I remember the game against England where the ball turned and we got a couple of stumpings. Mike Gatting's dismissal u2013 caught behind u2013 was special. Richard Hadlee's wicket in the semi-final was crucial because there were five overs to go and Hadlee could have gone berserk to make a difference in the game. Another 20 runs and it could well have been New Zealand in the final.
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
