Rishabh Deb (BOMBAY TIMES; February 4, 2020)

They shocked and awed the world with their uncharted, unprecedented World Cup win in 1983. However, according to former cricketer Sandeep Patil, even today, when the hard-hitting middle order batsman and his team sit down to discuss the history they created, that year, they wonder how they managed to pull off the win.

And now, 37 years later, Sandeep’s son Chirag is gearing up to recreate that same magic on the silver screen. In a candid chat, the son talks about stepping into his father’s shoes – quite literally – in ‘83, while the father spills the beans on one of India’s greatest cricket teams.

In 1983, team India was considered to be the underdog in the World Cup. Do you think the lack of expectations played a role in the team’s victory?
Sandeep: We took the world by storm in 1983. We were just there to play the tournament and enjoy good cricket. That was the mood of the team — we wanted to get the feel of the World Cup and playing in London. In the 1970s, India didn’t perform well at the World Cup, so nobody expected anything from us. I think that turned out to be an advantage for all of us because we were not carrying any extra baggage. We had no confidence that we would win any match. However, both the start and the end were great. I remember that in the west there was a shock wave, and everybody was like, ‘how did this happen?’. We beat West Indies in the first match, and then again in the finals. That was something phenomenal. Even today, whenever we discuss it with friends and the team members who played the 1983 matches, we still wonder how we did it. And it was not just one match — every match saw amazing performances by different players. It was a real team.
Chirag: I think we are under more pressure now, than they were then. All the actors are playing characters that have achieved so much in their lives and we have a lot of responsibility to do justice to them. All of us are going through a roller-coaster ride of emotions right now, as we think about whether we will live up to people’s expectations or not.

Sandeep, on a scale of 1-10, how accurate do you think Chirag’s look is in the first poster?
Sandeep: Well, there’s asli and there’s nakli. I thought, yeh nakli kya karega, but I have to accept that after seeing the first look, the nakli is looking asli. I am his biggest critic, but I have 100 per cent confidence that he has done great work as me in the film.
Chirag: I do have the advantage of a champion’s DNA (laughs!).

Chirag, how much preparation did it take for you to nail the look as well as to perfect your batting skills to match your dad’s?
Chirag: It took four hours and more of practice each day, along with a strict diet for me to nearly perfect my dad’s looks and skills.
Sandeep: Interestingly, while the cast practiced very hard and followed a strict diet, we never did any such thing to win the World Cup. In fact, everybody in the team suffered from some injury those days and there was no physiotherapy or fancy facility that today’s players get. If you were injured, the attitude was to look after yourself.
Sandeep: No cry babies allowed! I have seen Kapil Dev taking injections in the knees and toes, while Mohinder Amarnath had stitches. Even Ravi Shastri got stitches without anaesthesia. Before the World Cup, I had a rib fracture and I could not tell the cricket board that I couldn’t go. After all, I was representing my country. Rib injuries take four to five weeks to heal and I played the World Cup with one.

Sandeep, you have seen the cast’s first look, as well as met them offscreen. Does seeing their portrayal of Team India bring back memories of those days?
Sandeep: After meeting the cast, I feel their camaraderie is very similar. There is a lot of masti and positive vibes from the cast. A lot of credit goes to Kabir (Khan) and Ranveer (Singh) for that. They are the true manager and captain of the ship. The cast is so natural; it feels like I am with my team from 1983. These are all good actors and I realised that after seeing how well everybody transformed into their respective characters. Especially Ranveer, who looks so accurate as Kapil in the film. I know the mannerisms of Kapil; we’ve known each other for a long time, and played together. The way he sits, walks, speaks and laughs — Ranveer has picked up everything so well. Hats off to him!
Chirag: All the cast members are very fond of my father and they were mesmerised to hear stories from the 1983 team — especially the funny ones.

But the team appeared so serious back then...
Sandeep: The 1983 team was divided into two groups — six of us were the sadhus (saints) and the other six, shaitans (devils). Kapil Dev was the captain of the sadhus and, unfortunately, I was the captain for the shaitans. My job was to entertain the entire team because you cannot talk cricket 24x7. You have to take the pressure away. Kapil’s advice was in English and we didn’t follow anything. Whatever he spoke, we did exactly the opposite. The seniors, Mohinder Amarnath, Madan Lal and Sunil Gavaskar, were too serious, focused and disciplined. I feel the worst thing is to have Sunil Gavaskar as your room partner, and I got just that! He is so well-behaved. I literally had to walk on my toes when I entered the room so that I didn’t disturb him. I used to come back to the room late at night, and he would be reading a novel and would give me looks. Thank God, Sunil’s wife Pammi arrived and they moved in together later, while I moved in with my favourite roommate, Ravi Shastri. Phir dhamaal shuru ho gayi! You need to strike a balance. If you have 11 batsmen in the team, you won’t win the game. You need a mixed bag of people. Now that we all are senior citizens, whenever we meet, we carry that same spirit of sadhus and shaitans.