When India's 1983 WC win made a journalist literally eat his words

Exactly 38 years from today, the Indian cricket team did what no one expected them to do, not even the players. The team that had won only one game in World Cups prior to that, managed to defy all odds and lift the trophy.

It was so unexpected for the players even that India batter Kris Srikkanth planned to go on a honeymoon after the tournament. He had never thought that India would go beyond group stages.

India locked horns with the mighty West Indies, the winners of the previous two World Cups, in the final. They couldn't make more than 183 and when Sir Vivian Richards started to go great guns, everyone thought it was all over. Sunil Gavaskar's wife thought that the match would be over soon. From the stands, he told Sandeep Patil, who was fielding at the ropes, to pass on a message to Gavaskar: 'Meet me in 30 minutes at the station to go shopping.'

But it didn't happen. Srikanth too had to cancel the tickets because India caused one of the biggest upsets ever and won the World Cup. And this win made a journalist literally eat his words. 

David Frith, the then editor of the Wisden Cricket Monthly, wrote a preview of the World Cup just before the commencement of the tournament. He was particularly critical of India, suggesting that they should be made to qualify for the next World Cups along with the associate teams if they did not improve their performance. 

One of the readers of the magazine was Man Singh, from New Jersey in the USA. He strongly disagreed with Frith's assessment. When India lifted the World Cup, Frith was happy for the side.

But Man Singh didn't forget the article at all. He wrote a letter to Wisden Cricket Monthly, saying that Frith had to retract his words.

Singh wrote that a verbal or written retraction wouldn't do; Frith had to eat his words and Singh would be happy to let Frith wash down the offending passage with a beverage of his choice. 

Frith, being a true professional, decided to eat that piece of paper, knowing that the newspaper ink had several toxic chemicals. A photograph of Frith eating the piece of paper sitting at the Lord's press box was published in the next edition of Wisden Cricket Monthly.

Frith said that there was no malice in his words when wrote that India should withdraw from the World Cup.

"I have always been fond of India and it was probably the sheer frustration that persuaded me to write these words," said Frith.