June 05, 2008	Thursday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 30, 1429

NEW DELHI, June 4: India’s only World Cup winning cricket team will gather in London later this month to celebrate the 25th year of arguably the country’s greatest sporting triumph.

It was on June 25, 1983 that Kapil Dev’s unheralded team pulled off a stunning upset to deny Clive Lloyd’s all-conquering West Indians a hat-trick of World Cup titles with an amazing 43-run win at Lord’s.

The 14-man squad, popularly known as Kapil’s Devils, will mark the anniversary with a private function at the Long Room in Lord’s on June 25 followed by a gala dinner in London later that evening.

Sunil Gavaskar, who was part of the winning team, has organised the Lord’s gathering while business tycoon Vijay Mallya will sponsor the dinner, an official said on Wednesday.

A diamond-studded bat signed by all team members will be auctioned by Mallya’s group of companies to mark the occasion, a company release said.

“This is our way of ensuring that the silver jubilee celebrations are memorable for millions of those who were either a part of it or yearned to be one,” said Gavaskar.

Kapil said: “We will enjoy the moment and have fun. We will remember the good times.”

The BCCI will also organise a celebratory dinner on June 22 in New Delhi before the team flies to London.

The BCCI had earlier been reluctant to mark the occasion because the team included players who are involved in the unauthorised Indian Cricket League (ICL) promoted by the Zee media group.

Kapil is the ICL’s chief organiser while 1983 team-mates Sandeep Patil, Madan Lal and Balwinder Sandhu serve as coaches of various ICL teams.

The BCCI, however, relented and agreed to celebrate the 1983 feat even though the ICL players and officials are banned from associating themselves with official cricket.

“Cricket has always been the most popular sport in India,” said BCCI president Sharad Pawar, a political heavyweight and federal agriculture minister.

“However, the most remembered event in the history of Indian cricket is the stunning victory of our team against West Indies — the then cricket superpower.”—AFP