“It’s been 29 years, but it seems like yesterday. It was an important win for all of us. It made us boys into men,” Sodhi, who went on to play 18 ODIs for India from 2000 to 2002
Reetinder Singh Sodhi (right) is felicitated by MCA vice-president Sanjay Naik during a function on Wednesday. Pic/Satej Shinde
Reetinder Singh Sodhi and his India U-15 team took the cricketing world by storm on August 20, 1996, winning the Lombard U-15 Cricket World Cup by defeating Pakistan in the final by four wickets at the Lord’s Cricket Ground.
Players get Rs 1 lakh each
On Wednesday evening, 10 of the 14 players from that squad and head coach Sarkar Talwar relived those glorious days in the UK at a felicitation function in the city organised by the assistant manager and a selector of that team, Deepak Pandit, where every team member was awarded Rs 1 lakh and a memento.
“It’s been 29 years, but it seems like yesterday. It was an important win for all of us. It made us boys into men,” Sodhi, who went on to play 18 ODIs for India from 2000 to 2002 and is currently a television commentator and BCCI Match Referee, told mid-day. “That Pakistan team had quite a few players, who went on to represent their country at the highest level. There were around 20,000 Pakistani supporters on one side of the stadium at Lord’s and another 20,000 Indians on the other. We were just kids, but a lot of abuse was hurled at us. When we needed seven runs to win with six wickets down, the entire Pakistani crowd came onto the ground. Vivek Mahajan was with me at the crease and we ran for our lives. The game was halted for 45 minutes. The Indian crowd erupted in joy after we won. That win taught us how to deal with pressure matches, so, when it came to the U-19 World Cup in Sri Lanka under Mohammed Kaif’s captaincy in 2000, it became easy,” added Sodhi.
“That U-15 final was a turning point in my career. Growing up, Kapil Dev lifting the 1983 World Cup at the Lord’s balcony was an iconic moment for me. So, when I got the chance to play at the same venue and win a World Cup, I was thrilled,” said Kaif, who went on to play 13 Tests and 125 ODIs.
Underdogs become champs
Coach Talwar praised his boys for their unbeaten run that included four league matches besides the semi-final and final. “I didn’t do any magic. The boys were with me in Faridabad for most of 1995 and half of 1996, in the build-up to the tournament and we all worked hard. We were the underdogs, but it was a great effort,” said Talwar, 72, a former Haryana off-spinner.
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
