Team of 83: What are the players of 1983 World Cup-winning cricket team doing now?

Actor Ranveer Singh starrer ‘83’ based on India's historic 1983 Cricket World Cup win hit the cinema theatres on December 24, 2021, and has been getting rave reviews. Let's go down the down memory lane and check out what each member of the 1983 World Cup-winning squad is doing in their lives now.

Kapil Dev

Captain of the Indian team from 1982 to 1987, India won its first ever World Cup under his leadership. From scoring a world record knock of 175 runs not out against Zimbabwe to the spectacular catch he took going backwards to remove the dangerous-looking Vivian Richards in the finals, Kapil Dev led from the front scoring 303 runs, grabbing 12 wickets and taking 8 catches in the tournament. Upon retirement, Kapil worked as the coach of Indian national cricket team. The ‘Haryana Hurricane’ now works as a cricket expert for news channels and is also a professional golfer. Kapil also wrote four books – three on cricket and one on Sikhism.

Sunil Gavaskar

The 1983 World Cup may not have been the cricket legend’s finest performance, but his knowledge helped the team in winning the trophy. After retiring from international cricket in 1987, Gavaskar served as vice-president of Mumbai Cricket Association, interim president of BCCI, Chairman of the ICC cricket committee and advisor to the India national cricket team. Gavaskar is widely regarded as one of the world's most respected cricket voices having worked as a commentator, both on TV and in print. Gavaskar has also written four books on cricket, including his autobiography 'Sunny Days' and even played the lead role in the Marathi movie 'Savli Premachi'.

Mohinder Amarnath

Vice-captain of the 1983 World Cup-winning team, Amarnath was named “Man of the Match” in both the finals and semi-finals thereby playing a stellar role in leading India to its first ever One Day International title and first World Cup win. An all-rounder, he took three wickets for 12 runs and scored a crucial 26 runs in the finals. In the late 1980s / early 1990s, he hosted a weekly cricket coaching show on television called 'Cricket with Mohinder Amarnath.' Amarnath is now based in Goa and works as a cricket analyst for several news channels.

Krishnamachari Srikkanth

The dynamic opening batsman was the top scorer (38) in the low-scoring 1983 World Cup final. Known for his aggressive attacking strokes, Srikkanth hit some terrific shots throughout the World Cup much to the delight of Indian cricket fans. Upon his retirement from professional cricket, he coached India ‘A’ side, served as chief selector of the national team, became brand ambassador of IPL franchises, and also did commentary for Tamil Nadu Premier League. He even wrote newspaper columns during subsequent World Cup and IPL. In January 2020, Srikkanth was included to the panel of All India Council of Sports (AICS) as a member.

Yashpal Sharma

The second highest run-scorer in the 1983 World Cup after Kapil Dev, Yashpal is best remembered for his knock of 61 against England in the semi-final and 89 against West Indies in the opening match where he was the man-of-the-match. Following his retirement, he became an umpire for some time, and also served as a selector for the Indian national team for two terms. During his second tenure as selector, India won the 2011 Cricket World Cup. In 2014, he was named head of Delhi's cricket advisory council. Yashpal passed away due to a massive heart attack in July 2021.

Sandeep Patil

Patil was a hard-hitting batsman and an occasional medium pace bowler of the 1983 World Cup winning side. Soon after the World Cup win, he played a lead role in the Bollywood movie 'Kabhi Ajnabi The' (1985), alongside Syed Kirmani and Sachin Tendulkar in supporting roles. A man of many talents, Patil also edited a Marathi sports magazine, ‘Ekach Shatkar’, and wrote ‘Sandy Storm’, his autobiography. Patil was also a coach of the Indian team, India ‘A’ team, Kenyan team and BCCI's chairman of selectors.

Kirti Azad

A middle-order right-hand batsman and an off spinner, Azad played an important role in India winning the semi-final against England wherein he took the crucial wicket of the dangerous Ian Botham. Following his retirement from all forms of cricket in 1986, Kirti followed in the footsteps of his father, Bhagwat Jha Azad, a former Union Minister and Chief Minister of Bihar. Azad was elected to Parliament on a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ticket for two terms from 2009 - 2019. Recently, he joined the Trinamool Congress after quitting the Indian National Congress.

Dilip Vengsarkar

A top-class middle-order batsman, Vengsarkar could not play much in the 1983 World Cup due to an injury he sustained in the match against West Indies as Marshal Malcolm’s bouncer hit him on the chin. Vengsarkar later succeeded Kapil Dev as captain after the 1987 Cricket World Cup. After retiring, he started the Elf-Vengsarkar Academy in 1995. He also served as a chief selector of the Indian national team, became vice-president of Mumbai Cricket Association and chairman of the Talent Resource Development Wing to develop cricket talent within the country. Vengsarkar runs three cricket academies, two in Mumbai and one in Pune. These academies give free cricket training to chosen players. Presently, he is Chief Adviser of the Cricket Association of Telangana (CAT).

Madan Lal

A right-arm medium pace bowler and a fairly competent lower order batsman, Madan Lal took the important wickets of Desmond Haynes, Vivian Richards and Larry Gomes in the historic 1983 World Cup finals. He was the second highest wicket taker in the tournament with 17 wickets. After his retirement, he coached the UAE national team as well as the Indian national team for a while. He was also a member of the BCCI's selection committee. He currently works as a cricket expert on news channels and operates a cricket academy at the Siri Fort Sports Complex in New Delhi.

Roger Binny

An all-rounder who is best known for his impressive bowling performance in the 1983 World Cup where he was the highest wicket-taker (18 wickets). Binny also served as a selection committee member for BCCI and an in-house cricket expert for a national news channel during the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup. The first Anglo-Indian to play cricket for India, Binny is currently serving as an office bearer at the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA).

Balwinder Sandhu

The Mumbai-born right-arm medium-pace bowler who could swing the ball both ways was more than a useful tailender. Batting at No.11 in the finals; he put on 22 runs with Syed Kirmani and later dismissed the West Indies opener Gordon Greenidge with his in-swinger. He also served as the coach of Mumbai and Punjab, and worked with the National Cricket Academy. The '83 team hired him to teach the actors.

Ravi Shastri

The youngest member of the 1983 World Cup squad, Shastri opened the innings along with Srikkanth in the 1983 World Cup as Gavaskar was injured for a couple of matches and also batted at No.10 position in other matches. A right-handed batsman and slow left-arm orthodox bowler, he made his impact in the few matches he played during the World Cup. Upon retirement, Shastri turned into a well-known cricket commentator before being appointed as the director of the Indian national cricket team in 2014, and later served as its head coach until recently, when Rahul Dravid succeeded him.

Syed Kirmani

Kirmani who replaced the flamboyant Farokh Engineer behind the stumps for India went on to become one of the country’s top glovemen. During the 1983 Cricket World Cup, he was named the best wicket keeper. In the first round match against Zimbabwe, Kirmani equalled the then world record of being involved in five dismissals (three catches and two stumpings) and in the second round match against Zimbabwe was involved in an unbroken 126 run partnership with Kapil Dev for the ninth wicket, also a world record then. He also made his Bollywood debut in the 1985 film 'Kabhi Ajnabi The.' In 2015, he was honoured with the Col C.K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award.

Sunil Valson

Valson was the only player in the 1983 World Cup winning team who did not play a single game. During the famous knock of 175 by Kapil Dev against Zimbabwe, he was the 12th man. In fact, Valson never got a chance to represent the country at the highest level although he played 75 first-class cricket matches between 1977 and 1988 representing Tamil Nadu and Delhi. Currently he is serving as team manager of Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League.

PR Man Singh

Manager of the 1983-World Cup winning squad, he was the only official who travelled with the squad to England. Popularly known as ‘Maan Saab’ and ‘Mr Cricket’, he was not just a manager but a former player himself, a right-handed batsman and off break bowler, who played five first-class matches between 1965 and 1969, representing Hyderabad in the Ranji Trophy. But he shined brighter as an administrator of the team rather than as a player.