The 1983 Cricket World Cup winning team issued a statement on the wrestlers' protest on Friday (June 2), urging the grapplers not to make hasty decisions in this matter and expressing fervent hope that their grievances are heard and resolved quickly. The team stated that the wrestlers' decision to throw their hard-earned medals into the Ganga is not only their personal loss but also the loss of the entire country.
Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik, and Bajrang Punia, who have been demanding the arrest of Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Birj Bhushan Sharan Singh for alleged sexual exploitation of women wrestlers, marched to Haridwar on May 30 but did not carry out their threat of throwing their medals into the Ganga.
The 1983 team said: "We are distressed and disturbed at the unseemly visuals of our champion wrestlers being manhandled. We are also most concerned that they are thinking of dumping their hard-earned medals into river Ganga. Those medals have involved years of effort, sacrifice, determination and grit and are not only their own but the nation's pride and joy."
"We urge them not to take any hasty decision in this matter and also fervently hope that their grievances are heard and resolved quickly. Let the law of the land prevail," it said.
Madan Lal, a member of the 1983 cricket world cup winning squad, said, "Heartbreaking that they decided to throw their medals. We aren't in favour of them throwing their medals because earning medals isn't easy and we urge the Government to sort out this issue as soon as possible," he told ANI.
Kirti Azad, a former cricketer and TMC leader, stated: "We want the Delhi Police to wrap up its investigation into this case as quickly as possible, and we also pleaded with the grapplers not to throw their medals into the Ganga river. We comprehend the struggles that the wrestlers are facing," he told PTI.
When the wrestlers marched without permission towards the new Parliament building on May 28, the Delhi Police detained them for violating law and order. The police also cleared the protest site and stated unequivocally that the wrestlers would not be permitted to return to Jantar Mantar. The police action against the wrestlers drew criticism from a variety of sources.
The Indian cricket team humbled the mighty Clive Lloyd-led West Indies to win the country's first World Cup trophy under legendary skipper Kapil Dev.
Sunil Gavaskar, Mohinder Amarnath, K Srikanth, Syed Kirmani, Yashpal Sharma, Madan Lal, Balwinder Singh Sandhu, Sandeep Patil, Kirti Azad, and Roger Binny all played in the memorable final on June 25, 1983, at Lord's.