1983 World Cup Winners Urge Wrestlers to Reconsider Immersion of Medals in Ganga

New Delhi: Members of the iconic 1983 World Cup-winning cricket team have expressed their concern over the protesting wrestlers potentially immersing their hard-earned medals into the holy river Ganga.

The wrestlers in question, Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik, and Bajrang Punia, have been demanding the arrest of Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Birj Bhushan Sharan Singh on allegations of sexual exploitation of women wrestlers. However, the cricketers are urging the athletes not to hastily make such a decision and are hopeful that their grievances will be acknowledged and resolved.

The wrestlers had planned to carry out their threat of immersing the medals into the Ganga during their protest in Haridwar on May 30. Nevertheless, they decided against it. It’s worth mentioning that the wrestlers had faced detention by the Delhi Police on May 28 when they marched towards the new Parliament building without permission, citing a violation of law and order.

The police, apart from detaining the wrestlers, also cleared the protest site and made it clear that they would not be allowed back at Jantar Mantar. This police action has drawn criticism from various quarters.

Expressing their distress and disturbance over the treatment of the champion wrestlers, the 1983 World Cup-winning team conveyed their concern regarding the potential disposal of their hard-earned medals.

The statement released by the team emphasized that the medals symbolize years of effort, sacrifice, determination, and resilience, not just for the athletes themselves but for the entire nation. They implored the wrestlers not to make any hasty decisions and fervently hoped that their grievances would be addressed and resolved promptly, emphasizing the importance of upholding the law of the land.

Led by the legendary Kapil Dev, the Indian cricket team achieved a historic victory by defeating the formidable West Indies, captained by Clive Lloyd, to claim the nation’s first-ever World Cup trophy. The final took place at Lord’s on June 25, 1983, with players like Sunil Gavaskar, Mohinder Amarnath, K Srikanth, Syed Kirmani, Yashpal Sharma, Madan Lal, Balwinder Singh Sandhu, Sandeep Patil, Kirti Azad, and Roger Binny featuring prominently in the victorious lineup.