‘Did not call me’: Kapil Dev on why he was not present for India vs Australia World Cup final

India suffered a saddening defeat at the hands of Australia in the 2023 World Cup final on Sunday. This team was expected to join the 1983 and 2011 World Cup winning sides with form, individual runs and support of the crowd all behind them. As it turned out, Australia romped to victory with ease for their sixth World Cup title. With many celebrities in attendance, including 2011 World Cup winner Sachin Tendulkar, there was the absence of Kapil Dev, captain of the iconic 1983 World Cup-winning team, that stood out. It has emerged that he had not received an invitation to the Narendra Modi Stadium. The former captain was visibly disappointed and said that he had wanted the entire 1983 team to have been present with him. He did, however, acknowledge the magnitude of the event and the busy responsibilities of those involved might have led to the oversight. “I wasn’t invited there. They didn’t call me so I did not go. As simple as that. I wanted the whole ’83 team to be there with me but I guess due to the fact that it’s such a big event and people are so busy handling responsibilities, sometimes they forget,” Kapil Dev told a news channel.

There were reports that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) planned to honour former World Cup-winning captains during the mid-innings break. Kapil Dev, who led India to their historic victory on June 25, against a formidable West Indies team, wanted his 1983 team to be present during this felicitation.

Back in 1983, India tripped West Indies in the final despite being massive underdogs in the final. Opting to bat first, Andy Roberts, Malcolm Marshall, Michael Holding, and Joel Garner combined to limit India to just 183 runs. However, the Indian bowlers did not just wither away - they stepped up and made the chase tough for West Indies and eventually stopped them 43 runs short of the target. As far as the current final was concerned, India, high-flying after 10 wins on the bounce, were outplayed by Australia. Batting first, India struggled to find any momentum as a disciplined Australian bowling attack successfully restricted them to 240 runs. Travis Head’s remarkable 120-ball 137 played a pivotal role as Australia secured their sixth men’s World Cup title with a convincing six-wicket victory.