Former Indian cricketer and World Cup winner Kirti Azad has firmly dismissed a viral social media image that falsely claimed to show that show hotel bill from India’s iconic 1983 World Cup victory celebrations. Taking to X, the 1983 World Cup-winning star clarified that the widely circulated receipt is completely fake and even accused the creators of forging Kapil Dev’s signature on the document.The viral image claimed to be a restaurant and grill room invoice from London’s Grosvenor Hotel dated June 25, 1983, the same night India stunned the mighty West Indies at Lord’s to win their maiden Cricket World Cup title. The so-called bill featured luxury items such as Moët champagne, steak dinners, whiskey, beer, and Dunhill cigarettes, with the total amount reportedly reaching £764. To make the document appear authentic, the fake invoice also carried a bold signature resembling Kapil Dev’s autograph, which fueled widespread discussion and nostalgia across social media platforms. However, Kirti Azad quickly shut down the rumours and clarified that the Indian team never celebrated at the Grosvenor Hotel after the historic triumph. According to Azad, the team’s celebrations actually took place at the Westmoreland Hotel, exposing the viral receipt as a complete fabrication.”This is fake. It is all over social media. We stayed at Westmoreland Hotel, next to Lords cricket Ground, London. After the victory on 25 June 1983 celebrations took place all night till morning of 26th June. We never went to this hotel. The signature of Kapil Dev is also forged,” Azad wrote on X.The 1983 Cricket World Cup Final took place on June 25, 1983, at Lord’s in London, where underdogs India pulled off a monumental upset by defeating the two-time defending champions, the West Indies, by 43 runs. This historic victory shattered the West Indies’ era of absolute dominance and fundamentally shifted the global epicenter of cricket to India.
