Syed Kirmani, who used to be the wicketkeeper for India, told a funny story about the ODI World Cup in 1983. India won the 50-over event, which was a big deal because it was their first International Cricket Council (ICC) title under Kapil Dev.
Syed Kirmani talked about what happened in the World Cup game against Zimbabwe that made him walk to the middle to join Kapil Dev. Dev scored 175 runs without getting out, and he and Syed Kirmani added another 126 runs to make a total of 266 that won the game. India then bowled Zimbabwe out for 235 runs. Madan Lal took three wickets.
Syed Kirmani told Star Sports that he was never thought of as an all-rounder and had to bat last in the lineup because of it.
When India was down to 17/5 against Zimbabwe, the keeper-batter was getting ready for a shower and a good meal. The 73-year-old said that after a while, someone asked him to pad up, but he thought they were kidding. When he saw the scorecard, he was shocked.
“I was never thought of as a good all-around player, so I used to bat way down the list. So there were seven players who were good at everything. Kapil Dev won the toss against Zimbabwe and chose to bat, so I didn’t have to do anything. I had wrapped myself in a towel because I was getting ready to take a shower and have a nice breakfast. Then, suddenly, someone from outside yelled, “Pad up, Kiri!” I thought they were joking, so I didn’t pay attention. They yelled again, though. When I looked out the window this time, I saw 17/5 on the scoreboard. Kirmani said, “Believe me, the towel I was wearing slipped.”
The 73-year-old went on to say that he doesn’t remember how quickly he put on his gear and went to the spot. He also said that the then-India captain was probably upset with how the team did in a knockout game.
“I don’t remember if I ate breakfast or how fast I got dressed and went outside to meet Kapil Dev. I could see why he was upset with how things went in a playoff game. But I haven’t seen anyone in that situation play a more crushing innings,” he said.
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