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The story behind Kapil Dev’s historic 175 not out & what makes it the USP of Ranveer Singh & Kabir Khan’s 83’
On the match day, BBC crew was short staffed and had the option of covering two matches of the four on the given day. India was nearly out of the tournament, and hence the broadcasters decided to skip it. Details
The trailer of Kabir Khan’s much awaited 83’ fronted by Ranveer Singh has evoked an extraordinary response from the audience and trade alike, getting the cine-goers across the globe excited to witness the greatest underdog story ever. The core premise of the film revolves around how India triumphs the world number 1 cricket team, West Indies to lift the cup. While the moment was witnessed by quite a lot of people, thanks to the live screening on the television, very few know that the most historic match of India cricket was not recorded by broadcasters back in 1983.
Kapil Dev’s 175 not out against Zimbabwe at Tunbridge Wells on June 18, 1983, is an innings that was watched only by those present at the stadium on that day and never after did one get to see it as the match was not recorded at all. The BBC crew back then was short staffed and had the option of covering two matches of the four on that day. But obviously, India was nearly out of the tournament, and hence the broadcasters decided to cover England vs Pakistan and Australia vs West Indies.
And that innings of 175... what a pity that it’s not been recorded. It was batting of the highest class. It’s the best ODI hundred I have seen and I have seen a few. I know it’s taken mythical proportions
Sunil Gavaskar in an older interview
Little did they know about missing out on a historic match. In a do or die match, India was struggling at 17 for 5 after winning the toss, and that’s when the captain rose from the ashes with an unbeaten knock of 175 of just 138 balls to take India at the total score of 266 runs. The captain created a world record of most runs in a single game surpassing the previous best, of 171 not out by GM Turner. The ones present at the stadium term Kapil Dev’s knock as the best ever in the history of world cricket given the circumstances the runs came in. The all-rounder clocked a record ninth wicket partnership back then with Syed Kirmani as they put together a 126 run partnership, with Kapil scoring 90% of the runs.
Indian legend, Sunil Gavaskar, who was also a part of this world cup winning team was once upon a time quoted saying, “Kapil was just that kind of a captain. He had that positiveness about him that, you know, nothing was impossible. And that innings of 175... what a pity that it’s not been recorded. It was batting of the highest class. It’s the best ODI hundred I have seen and I have seen a few. I know it’s taken mythical proportions, and it deserves to. It was really a game-transforming moment, not just match-transforming. It completely transformed the game as far as Indian cricket is concerned.”
All through the last 28 years, the knock has been discussed in conversations without any visual references. And the same has now been recreated for the first time ever by Kabir Khan and his team in their upcoming sports drama, 83’. The audience and fans, who have just heard about history being created at Tunbridge, will get to witness the knock on the big screen, as makers have recreated the knock taking cues from the players themselves and 100s of others who were present in the stadium. In an earlier interview with a leading daily, Kabir Khan was quoted saying, “If things weren’t recorded back then, they are now. We interviewed hundreds of eye witnesses, who told us exactly how things unfolded. A lot of effort has gone into staying true to the details of shots played.”
In a do or die match, India was struggling at 17 for 5 after winning the toss, and that’s when the captain rose from the ashes with an unbeaten knock of 175 of just 138 balls to take India at the total score of 266 runs. The captain created a world record of most runs in a single game
Himesh Mankad
Several focus screenings of 83’ have taken place over the last few weeks and the ones who have seen the version can’t stop going gaga over the emotional highs and lows that the narrative has to offer. The 175 knock of Kapil is said to be among the major highlights of the narrative, which is loaded with moments of pride, joy and emotions. This is indeed an unseen knock for a country that often rises with pride while speaking of the 1983 world cup win. All eyes on seeing how things unfold in the film!
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