The 1983 World Cup winning captain Kapil Dev compared Himachal Pradesh’s 11-run victory over Tamil Nadu in the summit clash of the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2021 with the historic 1983 World Cup win.
“In 1983, no one gave us a chance. We still did it. Similarly, Himachal Pradesh winning the domestic one-day competition can be compared to India’s 1983 win. I am so happy to hear this,” Kapil Dev told India Ahead on Sunday (December 26).
Coincidentally, Himachal’s sensational victory came after the release of the much anticipated movie ‘1983’ which has become a rage amongst the cricket fans as the Ranveer Singh starrer film has taken the cinema hall by storm.
Rishi Dhawan-led team, with no superstar to talk about, sailed through the odds and with the great team effort throughout the tournament made the impossible look possible.
“I am also happy because Himachal doesn’t have that many grounds, yet they can produce a result as big as this one. This win is going to help the state go a long way,” Kapil said.
The ’83 ‘Kaps’ also pointed out that beating big teams isn’t easy. “I would like to compliment Anurag Thakur and Arun Dhumal for creating a cricket hub with so many limitations. And beating big teams in the competition to reach the final and doing well against a strong Tamil Nadu side speaks volumes about the team,” the 62-year old added.
Meanwhile, Himachal’s captain Rishi Dhawan too admitted that his team has been in pursuit of such a triumph for a long time.
“Getting a compliment from legendary Kapil Dev is also quite a moment for us. His words will only help us to keep our good work going,” head coach Anuj Pal Dass said while responding to Himachal’s historic maiden win.
Himachal Pradesh completed a fairytale script with Shubham Arora's unbeaten hundred to down Tamil Nadu to win their first-ever domestic title at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Sunday.
Chasing a stiff 315, Himachal Pradesh, who were playing their maiden Vijay Hazare final, responded in style with the 24-year-old wicketkeeper-batter making a fine 136 not out with 13 fours and one six.
"It was long pending and we've finally done it. Really happy. We had played a few games here, so we knew that the pitch is good and the outfield is very quick, so if we batted deep, we could chase it down," skipper Dhawan said after the victory.
