In conversation with M D Riti, Madan Lal was more than happy to discuss that tournament.

What was it about your bowling that worked in England?

I used to move the ball a lot. That's what worked. Once you move the ball, you can get any batsman out.

Today, there is a demand for a bowling coach. At that time, you only had a manager. Who did you turn to then to discuss bowling strategy?

I had my own coach, Gyan Prakash. He used to tell me a lot about bowling because he had played a lot of cricket. That's how I learnt. With my match experience in the RanjI Trophy and so on, I got more experience.

But you had nobody in England whom you could consult on bowling strategies to use. You must have had to take your own decisions.

In those days, senior members of the team like Sunil [Gavaskar] and [captain] Kapil [Dev] would guide us. The whole team would tell us where to bowl, where not to bowl. It was like a total team effort.

What was it like having Sunil Gavaskar on your side? Was he helpful?

Very very helpful! He was great! I always rate him one of the best batsmen India has ever produced. He was technically so correct that you could learn so much from him while he was batting. At the same time, he would guide us a lot too.

How would you rate Kapil Dev as skipper?

Great! Kapil Dev has achieved a lot of things. He won us the World Cup! Ultimately, his results speak for him.

What was the mood like in the dressing room before the final?

The mood was excited. We all wanted to win because we had come so far. We did not have pressure because we had already done well and got into the final. We were just thinking, okay, let's try the final also. If we can win, it's good. If we don't, we still have achieved a lot.

Did Kapil have any final advice before the game?

Before big matches, there are always meetings. Advice is given where to bowl, where not to bowl, what to do. Plans are chalked out. This is exactly what happened that time too.

When India lost the warm-up games before the tournament, how did the team feel?

Very bad. We lost all the warm-up games. People never gave us a chance. It all started changing when we won the first match. We played match by match. And we gained in confidence after each win. Once you start believing in yourself, then things start happening for you.

You and Roger Binny were a very good bowling pair.

Roger has always been a very good player. Both of us enjoyed bowling a lot. Roger also got a lot of wickets on that tour. So did I. But all things considered, I must insist that the 1983 victory was a total team effort. There were many heroes in that team who did very well. It would not be fair to pinpoint Roger and me only.

Your partnership with Mohinder Amarnath also contributed greatly to India's victory.

When you are playing as a team, someone may contribute more than someone else. But it's a team effort. Everyone chips in. Mohinder did very well in the World Cup, it's true. So did we all. He enjoyed good rapport with people.

India had so many all-rounders then. We are struggling for all-rounders now.

Yes, we do. But people are coming up now in that category. To be a good all-rounder, you have to be very serious about the batting part of your game. I always tell pace bowlers that they must bat well. Sometimes, the wickets may not suit you. If you can bat for 50 to 60 runs, that will be an advantage to the team. Your career can also expand. You have to bat and be a brilliant fielder as well. There are a few kids coming up like this now. We have had a lot of genuine all-rounders until now, though, in domestic cricket and other classes of cricket.

Any lessons for the present Indian eleven?

They are very good players, the present eleven. They have the world in their hands. The only thing is, they have to work hard and be focused, and they will get there.