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From one winner to another...

Kapil's Devils -- aka the Indian team that won the 1983 World Cup -- is ready, able and willing to play a sort of 'best of luck' one day match against the present Indian combo, in the run up to the World Cup.

Announcing this, captain of the 1983 team Kapil Dev said the winning team of 15 years ago was ready to do whatever it could to help the current team prepare for the premier contest.

''When we went into the 1983 final, our chin was up and chest was out, and the prayers of over 600 million people were with us'' Kapil said, recalling those glorious moments.

Eleven of the 14 members of the 1983 squad came together in New Delhi for a function organised by Hero-Honda to wish the Indian team all the best for the 1999 World Cup.

Sunil Gavaskar expressed his confidence that the present Indian team was capable of repeating the feat. "As Kapil said, in 1983 we had the prayers of 600 million Indians with us, the present team will have the good wishes and prayers of about one billion Indians," the cricket legend quipped.

In a lighter vain, Gavaskar said though, "I did not do well in the 1983 World Cup, but I did pick up Indian players for special awards. My men of the match were Kapil Dev and Mohinder Amarnath, best jumper award went to K Srikkanth for the way he kept jumping over the other players each time a wicket fell, best walker was Roger Binny for his laid back walk, best diver was Syed Kirmani for obvious reasons, and best waver was Madan Lal,"

Present on the occasion, besides Dev and Gavaskar, were Mohinder Amarnath, Yashpal Sharma, Roger Binny, Sunil Walson, Balwinder Singh Sandhu, Madan Lal, Dilip Vengsarkar, Syed Kirmani and Madan Lal. Notable absentees include Ravi Shastri, Kirti Azad and Krish Shrikkanth.

''We were a well prepared side for the 1983 World Cup, as the team had two tough series of Pakistan and West Indies just before the Cup," Jimmy Amarnath recalled, adding, "While playing, I was not interested in the man of the match award, the thing was to play for the team, do what we had to do and win the Cup."

Jimmy attributed India's most famous cricket win to the fact that everyone had played as a team.

"Today's style of one-day cricket is quite different than that of our days," Amarnath said, adding, "The side of today is a very good one, has good team spirit. But it does seem to lack the kind of all rounders we had in 1983."

Speaking on the occasion, Hero Honda managing director Pawan Kant Munjal said that the unique feature this time has been the way in which the 1983 World Cup squad has come together to wish the team for 1999.

The stars earlier came together for a film, Good Luck India, under the sponsorship of Hero Honda. In it, the stars come together to relive those glorious moments, and in the process to provide a morale booster for the current squad.

Briefly, the film is in the form of a one-minute commercial containing a message from the 1983 heroes to the 1999 squad.

Kapil Dev, while shooting for the film, said: ''It is an extremely warm and emotional message, and there cannot be anything more inspiring for our boys. I have personally relived that moment Today but I want India to relive the moment in June 1999.''

Jimmy Amarnath, man of the match in the final of the 1983 World Cup, added, ''Shooting for this film has been a memorable experience. I sincerely wish the 1999 team all the best and I hope, and I have every reason to do so, that the World Cup will be brought back to India.''

Sunny Gavaskar summed it all up by saying ''Good luck India'' is a simple but stiring message.

Among the players featured in the film are Dilip Vengsarkar, Ravi Shastri, Amarnath, Sandeep Patil, Balwinder Sandhu, Syed Kirmani, Roger Binny, Madan Lal, Sunil Walson, Yashpal Sharma and K Shrikkanth.

Sunny Gavaskar, who was not free at the time the film was being shot, will however be part of the larger 'Good luck India' campaign.

The 'Good Luck India' film will have versions of varying lengths, ranging from 30 to 60 seconds, and will be televised nationally on all national networks. This, Honda hopes, will enthuse not only the viewers to come forward and wish the team the best of luck, but will also boost the morale of the team to such an extent that will make the dreams of all cricket followers in India a reality again.

UNI