The winds of change post 1983
Kapil Dev’s lifting of the ODI world cup at Lord’s on June 25th, 1983, was an epochal event in the history of cricket, marking the arrival of India as a superpower of the game. However, a lesser-known incident that happened before this game was equally vital in changing the international cricketing landscape.
With India making it to the final against all odds, NKP Salve, the then BCCI President, was invited to Lord’s to watch the match. Salve had requested his English counterparts for extra passes for some of his guests. However, his request was ungraciously denied. According to contemporary accounts, more than the refusal, it was the brusque manner in which he was rebuffed that left Salve fuming. That day, he vowed to bring the world cup to India.However, it was easier said than done.
India and Pakistan: an unlikely pairing
Apart from the infrastructural and monetary barriers, there was also the case of the Anglo-Australian domination of the International Cricket Council (ICC) that had to be tackled. In this difficult quest, Salve found an unlikely ally.
The day after the final, Salve met Pakistan Cricket Board President Air Marshal Nur Khan for lunch and proposed to host the World Cup together. In the following months, the two on-field arch-rivals worked closely together in winning over the other ICC members as well as walking a diplomatic tightrope of Indo-Pak relations.
A new era in international cricket
Eventually, the hosting rights vote for the 1987 edition at the ICC saw the joint BCCI/PCB bid emerge victorious 16-12.
For the first time since its inception in 1975, ODI cricket’s premier tournament moved out of England.
However, money still remained a major hurdle. The Boards approached international brands like Coca Cola, Gillette, Mitsubishi etc. for sponsorship but to no avail. Eventually, Salve’s diplomatic acumen saved the day as he managed to convince Reliance to sponsor the tournament.
Ironically, India and Pakistan were both knocked out in the semifinals and the old guard, Australia and England, clashed in the final held in Calcutta’s Eden Gardens, with Australia prevailing. However, off the field, the balance of power in cricket had shifted to the subcontinent, more specifically India, thus, ushering in a new era.
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