Kirti Azad during the Duleep Trophy final in Jamshedpur in 1991. Telegraph file picture

My mind goes back to the Lord’s balcony. I vividly remember standing beside my captain Kapil Dev holding aloft the Cup at the Lord’s. It still sends a shiver down my spine. It’s a moment I can never forget all my life. I was feeling so proud to be a member of a team full of brilliant individual performers.

When India scored just 183 (after being put into bat by West Indies captain Clive Lloyd), there was an element of disappointment in the dressing room. But our captain told us that the score may not be big, but it was still defendable.

Ever since then I have been hoping for a repeat performance by India. Since 1983, a lot of things have changed — the system, the rules, the equipment, the umpiring…. Five cameras used to cover the ground. Today, 31 cameras closely follow every ball. But the essence of the game has remained the same.

If the Indian players want to lift the Cup on Saturday, they would have to come out of their comfort zone. They will have to score more than 260 runs to win the match.

Munaf Patel is a classic example of how a player’s performance improves when he is out of the comfort zone. Munaf used to bowl wayward at 130km per our. But now he is almost unplayable. It is all because Munaf knew that he had to perform if he had to remain in the team.

There is no point drawing comparisons between the 1983 West Indies team and the Sri Lankans whom Dhoni and his boys will play at the Wankhede. It will be injustice to compare the two teams. They are 28 years apart. The players are different and the rules of the game were different in 1983.

Though my heart wants Dhoni to lift the Cup, my head tells me Sri Lanka has a slight edge. It’s 51-49 in favour of Lanka. They have been more complete as a team. India’s batting has been good but bowling has not been up to the mark. India has been lucky on several occasions.

Wish Lady Luck continues to favour Dhoni’s Men in Blue on Saturday!