When India participated in the 1983 Cricket World Cup, a handful of cricketing pundits singled the team out as a dark horse, but few expected them to win. They were up against the West Indies, England, Australia, Zimbabwe and Pakistan, all of whom had a greater reputation. India had also performed disastrously in the two previous world cup editions. But there was something different about the Indian squad of 1983. Each player in that team dreamt big, worked hard, contributed immensely to the team effort, and above all, truly loved the game. Led from the front by Kapil Dev, it was a team whose members were intriguing personalities, many of whom went on to be cricketing legends.
In this book, Balvinder Singh Sandhu, a member of that 1983 squad, talks about his team-mates, drawing an intimate portrait of India’s cricketing greats. He reveals previously unknown facts about the players, the stress they faced, their behaviour off the field, and how they pushed one another to excel. The Devil’s Pack is the story of a group of cricketers, seen from up-close, and how they conquered the cricketing world against all odds.
Former India test cricketer Balvinder Singh Sandhu played a significant role in India’s win in the 1983 World Cup. The ‘Sardar of Swing’ could make the ball move both ways at will and was more than useful as a lower order batsman. A postgraduate in economics, Sandhu relinquished his post as marketing manager at Rashtriya Chemicals & Fertilizers, Mumbai to pursue a career in coaching. He qualified as a Level 3 coach from Adelaide in Australia and the National Cricket Academy (NCA). He was head coach at NCA and has guided the fortunes of Mumbai, Maharashtra, Orissa, Baroda and MP in the Ranji Trophy championships. He has also held development camps in Goa, Punjab, Assam and of course, was chief coach in the MCA-Mafatal scheme. At present, Sandhu is a member of the Cricket Improvement Committee of such Mumbai Cricket Association.
Austin Coutinho is a sportswriter, cartoonist and sports administrator. Employed with Rashtriya Chemicals & Fertilizers, Mumbai, he is a professional qualified PR man and is at present the deputy manager of Customer Relations Management. A Ranji probable for Mumbai in the early 1980s, he was a pace bowler, partnering B.S. Sandhu with the new ball for RCF as well as club side, Karnataka SA. Countinho has served the Mumbai Cricket Association as a coach and committee member and is at present the president of the Mumbai District Football Association. He has written for many publications and websites all over India and has published books on football, cricket and quizzing
