New Delhi [India], June 24 : For Clive Lloyd, 1983 remains a melancholic memory that he has relived many times since. While the wound has healed with time, the scar remains. Chasing a record third consecutive World Cup title as captain, Lloyd was emphatic in declaring there was no question of complacency.
The West Indians had lost to India in the opening round of the tournament and knew what Kapil's Devils were capable of. "India was not a team to be taken lightly. 'They had beaten Australia and England on their way to the final and had some excellent all-round cricketers in the team," Lloyd said.
Speaking to Revsportz on the show Backstage With Boria, to mark the 40th anniversary of India's first World Cup win in 1983, Lloyd said, "Bowling India out for 183 was a very good effort, and on most days, we would easily chase this score down. But for cricket, however, it was a great result. It helped Indian cricket turn into something fundamentally different and world cricket, too, benefitted from this turnaround."
He added, "Even when we beat the Indians convincingly in the winter of 1983, we knew that it was only a matter of time before they became a cricketing superpower. The self-belief the World Cup victory had given Indian cricket had little parallel. It was great for your cricket," said the former West Indian captain.
On his leadership philosophy, Lloyd said, "Well you have to have a vision. You have got to be someone who is going to lead from the front. You have got to be friendly with your players. You have got to trust them. They have got to trust you. And because I have come from the Islands, my situation is rather challenging. It was different to other captains of different countries. They come from one country, one language. We have fourteen different islands with different cultures and backgrounds, and you have to work together to get them to understand what is their role. Because some of them can be quite flamboyant. West Indians love having a go and so on, but you have to put a bit more professionalism into them. So, it was a difficult task, but a happy one because the results has been tremendous."
Asked what ails India in ICC tournaments and why India has failed to go over the line in 10 years, Clive argued it is just a matter of time. "But you are getting there. You have got to the semifinals and finals and so on. You have qualified for multiple finals. I think the future could be very good for India because now, because of the IPL, you have a larger section of cricketers to choose from. And probably they are getting an experience that the other players did not get, rubbing their shoulders with the ex-captains, ex-players, and successful players. So, the point is that probably in the future, India will have a tremendous one-day side. There is every reason to believe you will have a very good 50 overside. You have got a terrific test side and it's just a matter of time before you win a big tournament. Things go in cycles and it will happen in the future, I am sure."
Asked if playing for the national team was becoming less important because of the growing number of franchise leagues, the former West Indies skipper said, "No. I think we went to Kerry Packer because we did not know our worth. These guys now know what they are worth. But I think that if IPL is such an important part of their lives, just give them a window so that they can play IPL. Yes, a window would be excellent, I think, because they are earning a good living. And do not forget, you are giving your best part, the best days of your life to this sport. So why not be paid for it? When Michael Jordan and all these footballers were earning millions per month, nobody said anything about it. Why cricket should be different? The one thing I do not want is that we the West Indies should not suffer because our players want to go to these different tournaments and you cannot stop them from doing that. It gives them a good future. But the point is that they should not do this to the detriment of playing for their country or their nation. And we suffer because we are only five and a half million people. So if we groom twenty players and lose ten, it is like digging a hole to fill a hole. And I do not want that. I want our best players to play and I want them to play to their optimum. So, we must have a situation where players must want to play for their country."
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