Kapil Dev stars at Independence Day celebration

‘83 Champion Kapil Dev, although many decades wiser since his Cricket World Cup win when he was 24-years-old, still has the same athletic looks and fan appeal when he appeared at the Cherrybrook Cenotaph on August 16 to join Hindu Council of Australia celebrating 75 years of Indian Independence. He laid a wreath at the cenotaph during the ceremony conducted by Anand Manickam.

There was a good mix of community seniors and young budding cricketers with their bats in hand for autographs from the foremost cricket allrounder India has produced. The uniformed personnel from India at the function reminded of the similarities between sport and army which both represented the nation.

Bhagwat Chauhan provided Cenotaph’s background that it remembered 12 Indian soldiers who laid their lives in WWI. “It reminds us of the value of freedom so that we can live our lives in peace and harmony and that a war is not always the solution,” he said.

Ashwin Sharma and Surinder Jain related with fondness how they followed the famous World Cup tournament when India, considered an easy walkover, created history by lifting the Cup. Mr Jain remembered the catch that Kapil Dev took at mid-wicket on the bowling of Madan Lal.

Kapil Dev said he felt humbled for the sacrifices the soldiers made for their country. Later, he joined for a lunch with everyone and happily posed for photographs and signed autographs for the many teenagers who were over the moon being with their star cricketer.

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