India’s triumph at the 1983 World Cup after beating the mighty West Indies marked an epochal shift in the country’s cricketing landscape. It became the No.1 sport, and by 2011 when India won again, the success was seen as a national rite of passage.
Former India cricketer W.V. Raman and senior journalist R. Kaushik have set about exploring the evolution of Indian cricket in these 28 years in the book The Lords of Wankhede, which was unveiled at a star-studded function, graced by the likes of Dilip Vengsarkar, VVS Laxman, and Venkatesh Prasad, among others, at the Century Club here on Tuesday.
The tag of a world champion, though, was tough to wear, conceded Vengsarkar. “It was very difficult because the BCCI invited the West Indies to India very soon,” the 67-year-old said, as the audience burst into laughter.
