It was Yashpal Sharma who made India believe that they can win the 1983 World Cup, for, it was his 89 off 120 balls that helped India beat the mighty West Indian in the opening game of the tournament. As the famed Indian squad assembled for the special screening of ‘83’ this middle-order batter was missed the most with some of his colleagues breaking down while watching the movie. Sharma passed away in July.
“Yes, we missed him very much. What a massive contribution he had made to that campaign. His energy, his sense of fun and utter dedication to Team India’s cause has not always got the credit, but this film makes up for that,” Sunil Gavaskar told The Indian Express.
“We observed a minute’s silence in Yashpal’s memory before the start of the show. We missed him on many occasions during the show as well. He loved watching Hindi movies and I used to pull his leg. It’s difficult to get over the grief. He will remain with us all the time. His family is like our family now,” Sandhu told the paper.
Sharma’s India and North Zone team-mate, cricketer-turned-politician, Kirti Azad said the heroes of 1983 broke down, as they took a trip down memory lane.
“We broke down many times and felt terrible. His contribution was immense. He set the ball rolling at the 1983 World Cup in the first game against the West Indies, coming up with that brilliant knock and shocking everyone. The win against the West Indies gave us belief,” Azad told The Indian Express.
Sharma had scored 240 runs in eight matches at the 1983 World Cup, an 89 off 120 deliveries in the first game against the West Indies being his brightest. 83 is a film directed by Kabir Khan which depicts India’s famous World Cup win in 1983. The whole squad including captain Kapil Dev was present at the special screening at PVR Andheri in Mumbai.
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