Mohinder Amarnath, unrushed even at the cusp of history, in that slow waltz run-up of his, like a glacial sheet that's only contemplating melting. Michael Holding, his gazelle-like elegance frozen in the headlights at the crease. Umpire Dickie Bird, pert as ever, raising his finger to 12 o'clock. You could call it a sporting moment. But there was an epochal quality to this victory of the underdogs. Bird, as charming a symbol of the old world as you want, was signalling the birth of a new world order. The moment didn't just mark time, it cut time into a clear 'before' and 'after'. 'Before' was a long night of the mind. Thirty-seven years ago, India had dismantled the political part of it. But it was on June 25, 1983, at Lord's— when a swarthy, sinewy fruit of the loam called Kapil Dev led India to the one-day World Cup—that the defeatism instilled into a colonised people was finally ended. That India awoke to mental freedom.
This story is from the December 30, 2024 edition of India Today.
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This story is from the December 30, 2024 edition of India Today.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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