Kapil and Gavaskar kick off silver jubilee celebrations

Kapil Dev, captain of the victorious 1983 World Cup team, and three other team members - Sunil Gavaskar, Roger Binny and Syed Kirmani - were present at a function in Bangalore to kick start the silver jubilee celebrations of the triumph, which is set to culminate in a dinner, hosted by the UB group, at Lord's on June 25.

Besides regaling the audience with anecdotes of the victorious campaign, the four members also presented a diamond-encrusted bat signed by the entire 1983 team, which is to be auctioned off.

BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah was also present at the event, the first in which both the Indian board and Kapil participated after he joined the unofficial Indian Cricket League (ICL). Kapil was sacked as the chairman of the National Cricket Academy and his pension was revoked after he was named as the chairman of the ICL's executive board.

Lauding the team's performance, BCCI president Sharad Pawar, said, "The most remembered event in the history of Indian cricket is the stunning victory of our team against West Indies - the then cricket superpower. Every cricketer in the years to come has this rich legacy to inherit."

The BCCI also plans to honour the cricketers with a function in New Delhi on June 22nd where the squad members will be presented with mementos and cheques.