'Wanted Whole 1983 Team There,' Kapil Dev Claims He Was Not Invited For WC Final In Ahmedabad

Former captain of India Kapil Dev said he was not invited to the World Cup final in Ahmedabad between the hosts and Australia. Kapil, who in 1983 guided India to its first-ever ODI World Cup title, expressed his desire to travel to the match alongside his colleagues.

"I wasn’t invited there. They didn’t call me so I did not go. As simple as that. I wanted the whole ’83 team to be there with me but I guess due to the fact that it’s such a big event and people are so busy handling responsibilities, sometimes they forget," Kapil told ABP News.

Sourav Ganguly, who was invited as a former BCCI president, was one of the past captains of India who was present at the Narendra Modi Stadium. It is customary for BCCI to invite former presidents and officers. (PM Modi Hugs Mohammed Shami After India Lose WC Final Vs Australia)

Later on, Kapil Dev showered praises on skipper Rohit Sharma telling him to keep his spirits high as India stands with him. After putting India to bat in the World Cup final at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Rohit ensured that the Men in Blue got off to a flying start with his blistering knock of 47 off 31 balls.

But Maxwell's wicked spin and Travis Head's sensational catch brought an end to Rohit's time on the field. From that point, the free-flowing boundaries became a rarity as the rest of the batters struggled to find the fence. (Glenn Maxwell's Wife Vini Raman Hits Back At Trolls, Says, 'You Can Be Indian...,')

Kapil took to Instagram to praise the Indian skipper and motivate him to look forward to the future that lies ahead of him and wrote, "Rohit you are a master at what you do. You have a lot of success awaiting you it's tough I know but keep your spirits up. India is with you."

After the match, Rohit didn't hold back while reflecting on the game and admitted that they didn't play their best cricket. (Virat Kohli To Rohit Sharma; ICC's Team Of The Tournament - In Pics)

"The result has not gone our way. We were not good enough today. We tried everything we could but I feel wicket got slightly better to bat under lights. Don't want to give that as an excuse. We knew under lights it would be slightly better to bat, but don't want to give that as an excuse. We didn't put enough runs on the board. With the seamers upfront, we took those 3 wickets and another wicket there, we could open up the game. Credit to those two guys in the middle for stitching an outstanding partnership," Rohit said after the match.

Coming to the match, India bundled out on a score of 240 in 50 overs. On a tough batting surface, skipper Rohit Sharma (47 in 31 balls, with four boundaries and three sixes), Virat Kohli (54 in 63 balls, with four boundaries) and KL Rahul (66 in 107 balls, with one four) posted important knocks.

Mitchell Starc (3/55) was the pick of the bowlers for Australia. Skipper Pat Cummins (2/34) and Josh Hazlewood (2/60) also bowled well. Adam Zampa and Glenn Maxwell got a wicket each.

While chasing 241, India had the Aussies down at 47/3. Knocks from Travis Head (137 in 120 balls, with 15 fours and four sixes) and Marnus Labuschagne (58 in 110 balls, with four boundaries) left the Indian team without answers and guided them to a six-wicket win. The World Cup finalists will now compete in a five-match T20I series which will begin on Thursday in Visakhapatnam.