Maninder Singh gets angry and emotional when you talk about the Reliance World Cup semi-final between India and England in 1987. Having won the 1983 Prudential World Cup, India, as hosts, were firm favourites. Then came the Wankhede clash against England and, to borrow partly from Margaret Mitchell, the famous author, India’s chances went with the wind.
Romance and tragedy are part of life, interlinked in many ways. For those that were part of it, India losing that semi-final was indeed something of a tragedy. The run till the semi-final was smooth. Then came Graham Gooch’s epic 115. Gooch used the sweep to devastating effect, against both Maninder and Ravi Shastri.
“It’s a high-risk shot, the sweep,” said Maninder, looking back at that long-ago morning. “The day a batsman keeps it going, it’s magic. But there can be days when the sweep can also go wrong. I have no hesitation in saying that Gooch was slightly lucky, but did well.”
What went wrong then, apart from the Gooch knock? Maninder considered one of India’s best left-arm spinners after Bishan Singh Bedi, came down like a ton of bricks on the batting. “We needed around 45 runs in the last ten overs and collapsed,” he recalled, struggling to keep the sarcasm out of his voice.
That’s Maninder for you, crisp and curt, yet honest in his recollection of that match 36 years ago. He still feels that India could have pulled off a win, had it not been for the last five wickets falling in a heap for just 15 runs. Old-timers will remember Kapil Dev’s indiscreet shot against Eddie Hemmings – holing out to Mike Gatting at deep midwicket – that triggered the slide. “Wickets kept falling after that, it was crazy,” said a wistful Maninder. He watched from the other end, unbeaten on zero.
Maninder did not mention names, but it was obvious where he felt the blame lay. Kapil’s shot cost him the captaincy, and it turned out to be Sunil Gavaskar’s last match for India. Chasing 255, India were 204 for 5 when Mohammed Azharuddin, the top scorer with 64, was dismissed. The rest is forgettable history.
Coming to the present, Maninder is all praise for this India team. “I am down with viral fever but still watching the matches,” he said. “I always saw potential in this side and the way the boys have been playing is impressive.”
England, on the verge of elimination, are up next on Sunday. “Inko to nikaal denge [They will remove them],” said Maninder, certain that this underwhelming England side won’t be much of an obstacle. He is looking much further ahead, at India going the distance to win the World Cup. “We have a fantastic team, and the boys are playing well,” he said. “They have to keep it going.”
Has anything else impressed Manni, as his friends refer to him? He was full of praise for Afghanistan and marked out Ajay Jadeja as a factor in their transformation. “Jaddu is shrewd, I will give him credit,” he said. “I have seen him since our days in the National Stadium in the capital. To have a mentor like Ajay Jadeja is great. He has instilled faith in these Afghan boys. They have produced great results.”