Indian cricket experienced a watershed moment in 1983 when it won the World Cup. As the underdogs, the Kapil Dev-led Indian team shut out the outside noise and lifted the coveted trophy at the ‘mecca of cricket’ – Lord’s. Various reports suggest that Bollywood star Ranveer Singh and his co-stars put in a lot of effort in order to portray a team that shed the tag of minnows and became world champions. Balwinder Sandhu, who nabbed the first wicket of the summit clash against the mighty West Indies via Gordon Greenidge for just one, spoke to TimesofIndia.com recently about how Ranveer got into the skin of “captain fantastic”.
“In 83, you’ll see Kapil Dev rather than Ranveer Singh. Ranveer’s work ethic was outstanding. I was so impressed with the way he portrayed Kapil Dev. I admire his dedication to his work. Kapil Dev’s character required hours of work by the actor. Although it was challenging, he accepted it and did it well. The man has a great personality. His work ethic is exceptional. He is full of energy and a nice person to be around,” Balwinder, who played eight tests and 22 ODIs for India, told TimesofIndia.com. “Ranveer surrendered and accepted everything we told him. He was more skilled than what we expected of him and he worked with an open mind. That’s what made him unique,” he said. “During the time I spent with him, we talked a lot. Over the course of a few weeks, we stayed at Kapil Dev’s house and discussed a lot of things. Ranveer pays attention to everything. He observes Kapil and takes tips from him. Whether it was his walking style, talking, smiling, body language, bowling, batting, or dressing sense, Ranveer checked all the boxes. And he did it all wonderfully.” Balwinder said. In the epic final, Kapil and his team defeated the West Indies, the two-time World Champions. “We are all proud of Kabir Khan’s movie about the 1983 World Cup. We all achieved the 1983 glory as a team. And the way he has shown the hard work we had put in, is so wonderful.” Balwinder concluded.
