Dawood offered cars to Indian cricketers in 1986: Vengsarkar

Mumbai, Oct 29: Former Indian cricket team captain Dilip Vengsarkar on Monday made a startling revelation that in 1986 underworld don Dawood Ibrahim had walked into the team’s dressing room and offered the players gifts of cars if they beat Pakistan in the final of the Sharjah tournament the next day.

‘Big businessman’

Mr. Vengsarkar claimed that Dawood, introduced to the players as a big businessman by actor Mehmood, offered each player a Toyota car if they won the Austral-Asia Cup.

Kapil shunted him out However, Dawood was turned away by then India skipper Kapil Dev.

“Mehmood was in our dressing room. Kapil Dev was not in the dressing room at that time because he had gone out to address the press conference,” Mr. Vengsarkar said at a function in Jalgaon.

“No one recognised him but I had seen his photographs.

Mehmood said he [the businessman] wants to announce a prize for us. He said, ‘If you beat Pakistan tomorrow, everyone will get a car.’ Jayawant Lele was our manager then,” Mr. Vengsarkar said.

The Miandad six

The match will be best remembered for the last-ball six hit by Javed Miandad off Chetan Sharma that helped Pakistan win the trophy.