India at the World Cup: Cricket fans take a trip down memory lane

Forty years ago, when India lifted the cricket World Cup for the first time, G S R Manian was in Nagpur, enjoying the match at his neighbour’s place.

While he had followed the 1975 and ‘79 World Cups through radio commentary, watching the '83 final live on television was a thrilling new experience.

In those days, television was a luxury, and very few households had one. Watching a match was like a get-together, with family and neighbours gathered around the TV, squatting on the floor. 

When India beat the mighty West Indies, Manian was elated, of course, but he didn’t indulge in raucous celebrations like is the norm these days.

“It was a simple homely affair, with sweets being distributed. Perhaps one laddoo was cut into 8 to 12 pieces,” chuckles Manian, who’d worked with the Reserve Bank of India before retirement. 

Now, the 81-year-old lives in Chennai and is—by his own admission—as old-school as one can get when it comes to cricket.

But age has not stopped Manian from enjoying the game, despite all the changes it has undergone over the years—especially 60 overs giving way to 50 in One Day Internationals (ODIs).  

His fondest memories of India at the World Cup include Kapil Dev’s marvellous running catch, to get rid of Viv Richards in the ’83 final, which steered the game in India’s favour. He also remembers M S Dhoni’s nonchalant six at the 2011 final in Mumbai, as if it’d happened just yesterday.

“It was Dhoni at his best,” recounts Manian.

In fact, no mention of India at the World Cup is complete without MSD’s iconic six that sealed the deal for India against Sri Lanka.

It is also the fondest World Cup memory for Carnatic singer Palghat Ramprasad.

“I have several memories of the 2011 World Cup. But Dhoni’s winning six and his composure as he stood at the crease watching the ball—this will stay with me forever,” he says.

Chennai-based Ramprasad has been an avid follower of the game—the World Cup in particular, ever since the 1987 edition which he watched on a black-and-white TV.

The TV would invariably act truant at key moments of the game, and the antenna had to be adjusted all over again, he laughs. 

His undiluted love for the game is evident as he gushes over Sachin Tendulkar’s pull-shot six off England’s Andrew Caddick in 2003 and the 141-run partnership between Ajay Jadeja and Robin Singh in the match against Australia in 1999.

In fact, his passion has translated into a music anthem set in Carnatic ragas. The song, which has both Tamil and Hindi versions (titled Cricket Endraal Bharatham and Cricket Hi Tho Bharath Hai, respectively) has Ramprasad and his colleagues and friends from the music fraternity—Sikkil Gurucharan and P Unnikrishnan—recollecting past wins and wishing the Indian team for the 2023 World Cup. (More on the 2023 WC later.)

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Memories galore

For Archana Mohan, a writer from Bengaluru, the brilliant bowling by Venkatesh Prasad in the quarter-final clash against Pakistan at the 1996 Wills World Cup remains etched in her memory.

Aamir Sohail was looking in imperious form and he had just dismissed Prasad for a four. This was followed by a signal with the bat that he was going to hit a boundary off the next ball as well. But what unfolded was something else—as Prasad destroyed the stumps and gave a vociferous send-off to the batter.

“Parents may not have been happy about the expletives we learnt from the encounter, but what a moment it was! India grabbed the momentum and went on to defeat Pakistan,” Archana relives the match with great gusto.

Gaurav Joshi, a public relations professional from Bengaluru, vividly describes the moment when the entire Indian team rallied around Tendulkar after the 2011 victory. 

“The emotion felt by every player in that squad, as well as their dedication to winning the cup for Sachin, was admirable. The image of Virat Kohli carrying Sachin on their shoulders still gives me goosebumps,” he recounts. 

Apart from the tournaments in 1983 and 2011, the 2003 World Cup in South Africa was also a good outing for India, with the national team making it all the way to the final, which it lost to an invincible Aussie side. 

Joshi recalls the master blaster Tendulkar scoring 98 off 75 balls in a high-adrenaline match against Pakistan.  

“What a treat it was to watch that six against Shoaib Akhtar over third man!” exults Joshi, whose interest in cricket began in the early 2000s. 

Heartbreaks too

Knowledgeable Indian fans don’t just remember the highs but hold on to the heartbreaks as well.

Ramprasad is yet to come to terms with the rain-derailed semifinal match in 2019, against New Zealand, which spilled over two days. He believes had it ended on the same day, it would have been India’s match. And, who knows, we could have gone on to win against England in the final, he rues. 

India’s exit from the 2007 edition at the group stage also rankles him. 

However, he has set aside these disappointments and is looking forward to the 2023 World Cup with hope and confidence. 

Plans for 2023

Though World Cup 2023 has already begun, for diehard cricket fans in India, the tournament will get well and truly underway when India takes on Australia in its opening game on Sunday at the MA Chidambaram stadium in Chennai.

Manian says he has no favourite players and will watch all teams with a critical eye. However, upon prodding, he admits to having a “soft corner” for all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja. “He’s the man for all situations, who can turn things around anytime.”

Kevin Baretto from Mumbai is rooting for Shubhman Gill and Rohit Sharma to come good as “big match” players in the tournament and Kohli to take on Pakistan on October 14. He is planning to watch the India-Pakistan match on the big screen with friends.

“I believe only one bad day can take the trophy away from us,” he says.

Being a cricket fan in India goes hand in hand with quirky rituals and superstitions and plans with friends and family.  

Joshi has a practice that he diligently follows while watching India’s games at home. 

“I make every effort to stay in one spot and not move around. I also wear the India jersey because the team always wins when I do,” Joshi explains his ritual, which he hopes to follow this year as well. 

Soumya Shekhar, a lawyer from Hyderabad, usually paints the tricolour on her hands—something she has been doing since 2003. She also rushes to the kitchen when India is bowling, as she believes wickets fall when a member of the family is in the kitchen. 

Soumya hopes for an unbeaten streak from the Indian team, given its performance in the Asia Cup and the recent Australia series. She plans to catch a World Cup match in Hyderabad at the ground.

Archana from Bengaluru is planning watch parties and potlucks to enjoy the matches. Her 12-year-old son, Arnav Prasanna, too has drawn up an elaborate itinerary that includes group discussions on Discord, writing blogs and summaries of India matches, and maintaining a spreadsheet to track all scores.

Cricket buffs are all charged up–ready with motivational chants, jerseys, and quirks–to see Team India bring their A-game. 

Game on!  

Feature image: Nihar Apte