Click to play videoThe 24-year long wait for the cricket World Cup has finally ended. Dhoni's Devils have done what Kapil's XI did at Lord's in 1983. The Yuvrajs, Joginder Sharmas have now replaced the likes of Sandeep Patil and Roger Binny.
CNN-IBN debated the Twenty20 World Championship win on the show Face the Nation: Is India's Twenty20 triumph bigger than the 1983 World Cup victory?
Joining Bhupendra Chaubey on CNN-IBN were member of the 1983 World Cup winning team Yashpal Sharma, well-known cricket historian Mukul Kesavan and Chairman of selectors, Mumbai, Milind Rege.
The sweet taste of the Twenty20 World Championships is still being enjoyed by the entire country. India now has two teams who have made it to this position. But just how has Wanderers 2007 been different from Lord's 1983? For India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, both these victories are equally special.
Yashpal Sharma, who was part of that win at Lord's in 1983, recalled, "At that time, our cricketing standards weren't up to the mark. And after '83, we got terrific cricketers like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly and Anil Kumble. You can't compare both the tournaments because both have their own charm till cricket is alive in this country. But what this win has done is lifted the hopes of the new talent coming through, because we were scared after the 2007 ODI World Cup that the talent wasn't just coming through."
Some also say that this is an unfair comparison being drawn, because in 1983, it was a 60-over match, but in 2007, it's a 20-over match.
"I think what you have to remember while comparing these two wins is what the average age of the people you are asking this question to is. For people in the age group of 40-50, 1983 was the first, truly major international triumph that we had. It was victory against an opposition which was the most dominant champion of that time," historian Mukul Kesavan says.
People rank 1983 higher also because that was perhaps the arrival of India in international cricket.
"Back in 1983, Indian cricket playing ODIs was in a very nascent stage. Earlier performances in the World Cups were miserable. India was nowhere in the picture in the cricketing map as well. But Kapil's team played against great players of the past, but there is nothing to take away from Dhoni, because India hadn't played any Twenty20 cricket prior to this tournament at all," Mumbai chief selector Milind Rege argues, saying that there was no need to compare the two teams.
The similarities don't just end there. Opening batsman Krishnamachari Srikkanth was the top scorer for India in 1983, while Gautam Gambhir did so in 2007, also an opener. Mohinder Amarnath took three wickets to get India the win, and here Irfan Pathan did the same with a three-wicket haul, both being the man of the match.
"There are similarities, you also have two captains who come from relatively unheralded cricket states, Kapil from Haryana and Dhoni from Jharkhand. You also have a whole series of players who aren't stars. The 1983 triumph was a landmark in the history of Indian cricket because it came at a time when network television came to India. So it was perfectly timed, it guaranateed the pre-eminence of cricket. So, historically it's the most significant victory," Kesavan explains.
Has Twenty20 changed the nature of cricket as a sport
"I feel it is media exposure. In 1983, there was hadly any exposure through the media. But now, more exposure is also encouraging sportspersons from small towns to come through. But I still feel both these achievements are equally remarkable," Yashpal Sharma says.
However, if not comparing the two triumphs, the fact remains that even in comparison, there is enormous amounts of pleasure one gets. Both captains, for instance, have a swashbuckling approach to their game, both are dynamic men. Has Dhoni borrowed a lesson or two from the Haryana Hurricane?
"If you judge them as captains and when you judge them as players, there is no question. In terms of player talent, Kapil Dev was possibly the most gifted to ever play for India. So that's still an unfair comparison for Dhoni. But there is a possibility that Dhoni's composure, calm and nervelessness might in the long run see him emerge as possibly the most capable captain," Kesavan says.
What is encouraging, though, is that a lot of players coming through are from smaller, unheard of cities. The Mumbai-lobby days are certainly over. Has cricket spread as a sport across the country?
"Let's look at the two team, both played fearlessly, they enjoyed their cricket, and the BCCI has done wonders to spread this game far and wide throughout the country. The only comparison that can be made is that they played fearlessly. Kapil has gone on record to say 'one should enjoy his cricket', the same thing that Mahendra Singh Dhoni says. That's the mantra," Milind Rege remarks.
The idea, thus, remains to enjoy both the victories. Both these feats will certainly be registered forever in the history of Indian cricket. Twenty20 may be a new format, and also indicates the victory may just help the new format prosper.
Final Verdict: Is India's Twenty20 triumph bigger than the 1983 World Cup victory?
64 per cent said no.
36 per cent said yes.
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