"Dawood offered a car to each player of the team if they beat Pakistan in the match that was to be played the ... Read More

NEW DELHI: Former skipper Dilip Vengsarkar today made a startling revelation about underworld don Dawood Ibrahim entering the Indian team dressing room and offering the players cars if they beat Pakistan in the final of the Sharjah tournament in 1986.

Vengsarkar disclosed that Dawood entered the team's dressing room and was introduced by the famous actor Mehmood as a businessman. However, Dawood was asked by the then India's captain Kapil Dev to get out of the dressing room.

"Actor 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. Dawood was introduced by actor Mehmood," Vengsarkar said at a function in Jalgaon.

"No one recognised him but I had seen his photographs. Mehmood introduced him to us as a big businessman from here. Mehmood said he 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," he added.

"When Kapil returned from the press conference he asked Dawood to get out," said Vengsarkar.

Former BCCI secretary Jaywant Lele had also mentioned the incident in his book, 'I was There -- Memoirs of a Cricket Administrator'.

The series is most remembered for the last-ball six by Javed Miandad off Chetan Sharma in the final that helped Pakistan win their first Sharjah trophy.