Down the memory lane!

"There were seas of maroon and blue walking up the Edrich stand, I vividly remember. The whole day was scorching hot and it's the most emotionally zapping cricket match Indians have witnessed. I remember meeting our man of the match outside the ground, (Mohinder) Amarnath paaji. As a 10-year-old, I couldn't understand the significance of that day as much, but it remains my most cherished memory till date," recalled Ajeet Sethi, who spent all evening reminiscing about the 1983 World Cup final by his hotel bar, which is barely two minutes away from the HPCA stadium in Dharamsala where India defeated New Zealand on Sunday.

Sethi, now 50, went on: "Looking back at that time with the Indian team, hindsight is a wonderful thing." He paused for a significant amount of time when asked how he views the present Indian side, when he was joined by childhood friend Balbir Singh. "Madam, those were the golden days. It changed everything in our lives. In those days, there was no local commentary as there is now. To know whether India had won or lost was in itself a struggle. But the joy of India's victory over the West Indies compensated for all other inconveniences we faced as fans," said Singh, with a commendable straight face, as he put an ursine arm round Sethi's shoulders.

In all fairness, India's 1983 World Cup side did ‘change everything'. They were, by any conventional measure of talent, the most ordinary team, but they captured the public's imagination through the audacity of never-seen-before tactics, the sublime skills of the current BCCI chief Roger Binny - 28 at the time - and the big hitting of 24-year-old Kapil Dev.

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Probably for the first time, the Indian side became a perfect reflection of how we saw ourselves as a country. Still struggling to restore our lost socio-cultural identity after 36 years of Independence from the notorious British rule, we were, as a nation, punching above our collective weight, while Kapil's men toiled day and night at the nets to compensate for lack of resources beyond the 22 yards.

"Can't forget it. There were celebrations everywhere. From kids to elders, no one in my family could resist the urge to partake of it. I think it felt more real back then, you know, that India did something huge. I was not a die-hard cricket fan back then, but at least I have got a few stories to tell my grandkids today," reflected Sarabjit Guleria, another fan who remembers the match through childlike eyes.

Within the next few hours, Guleria, a former culinary specialist in the Indian Army, acquainted his seatmates with how the Indian team has evolved over the years, discussing at great length about India's win over Pakistan both on and off the field in 1999. "There was a fair bit of adrenaline pumping. I was on duty at that time. When I rang my family after the war, it was a double celebration for them. India dono jung jeet gayi, hum saare bade khush the (India won both battles, we were overjoyed)," he addressed, while a helmeted Mohammed Shami walked to the middle as India required five more runs to register a fifth successive win in the tournament.

"I'd go back to that era in a heartbeat," Guleria spoke with a very high voice, while handing over a pint of iced water to his wife, seated above him. "It saddens me looking back on the game because many teams have dropped so far since then. The same West Indies who were once the Kings of international cricket are not a part of the World Cup. It cannot get worse than this," he remarked. Others shook heads and clicked their tongues. "Looking back on that team, it is not easy to forget how good their standard of cricket was years ago," another chipped in.

Meanwhile, a few metres away, several college students had been high-fiving so hard their palms hurt, as India ultimately ended its 20-year lull against New Zealand.

The crowd noise made it hard to listen in on what Guleria and his new-found companions conversed about. In the midst of high-pitched shrieks, squawks and unfettered joy, those like Guleria and Sethi might still hold out hope that, much like years ago, it won't be long before they can once again feel that giddy, emotionally frazzling connection to the sport when India lifts the crown on home turf!