Former 1983 World Cup-winning cricketer Kirti Azad has revealed that a restaurant bill that went viral on social media as a rare reminder of a glorious night in Indian cricket history is completely fake. The image that has been in the spotlight on social media for several days is claimed to be from a hotel in London. It said that Kapil Dev led the Indian team to win the World Cup at Lord’s by defeating the West Indies. The bill contained orders for luxury items such as Moët champagne, steak dinners and Dunhill cigarettes and was signed by captain Kapil Dev. Its old-fashioned style and details made fans believe it to be true.
The photo was widely shared on social media and cricket fans were left wondering if it was a missing page in history. However, core team member Kirti Azad denied the claims in a post on X-Handle. He said, the bill is completely false. They stayed at the Westmoreland Hotel, right next to Lord’s Cricket Ground in London, and from the entire night of June 25, 1983, to the early hours of June 26, there was a solitary celebration. They never visited the hotel mentioned in the bill and Kapil Dev’s signature was also forged, Azad said.
After Azad’s comments, social media users started scrutinizing the bill and found several flaws. The biggest mistake was in the calculations. The bill totaled £704, but instead of the 10 per cent service charge of £70.40, it said £60.40.
Additionally, in 1983, it was impossible for computers to use different fonts simultaneously, so many people suspected that it was created by artificial intelligence, aka AI. Many people claim that such fake bills have been made viral in the name of many film stars in the past.
Senior journalist Vijay Lokpali recalled the true story of the cricket team’s historic night in a podcast. He said most restaurants in London were closed by the time the game ended and celebrations began, leaving players struggling to find something to eat. Finally the cricketers went out at night and ate burgers to satisfy their hunger. The group’s driver was arrested that night for driving too late. The players introduced themselves as world champions but later took autographs from the cricketers and fined the driver.
A few Pakistani cricketers also joined the Indian team on that joyous night, which showed the brotherhood among the players. The 1983 victory not only ended West Indies’ dominance, but also made cricket a religion in India and inspired future stars like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and MS Dhoni.
However, Kirti Azad’s clarification proves that anything seen as old on social media needs to be re-examined before it is believed to be history.
