Mumbai | It was 40 years ago on this day that India lifted its first-ever cricket World Cup trophy and director Kabir Khan along with the squad of his "83" movie on Sunday congratulated the real-life heroes of the momentous match.

Khan's "83" chronicles the underdog India's win under Kapil Dev's captainship, when the team defeated the mighty West Indies in the final to clinch the trophy on June 25, 1983.

"83", the 2021 sports drama, was fronted by Ranveer Singh, who played Dev on screen, with Tahir Raj Bhasin and Saqib Saleem essaying the roles of Sunil Gavaskar and Mohinder Amarnath, respectively, as part of the winning Playing XI.

"I proudly salute this team on the 40th anniversary of their historic win #83," Khan posted on Instagram.

Even after 40 years, this Indian win of the cricket World Cup remains an inspiration, said Bhasin, thanking the team for their contribution.

"India's resounding success in tournaments after 1983 is a testament to the prophetic words of Clive Lloyd after the final match in 1983 - Indian cricket has arrived and it is here to stay!" he wrote in a letter that he shared on his official Instagram account.

"It was the consistent effort and self-belief of each one of you, that silenced your detractors and has gone on to inspire the next generation of cricketers like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, and M.S. Dhoni amongst others," Bhasin further wrote.

"40 years and counting. Happy anniversary to the team that changed the course of this nation," added Saleem in his Instagram post.

Pankaj Tripathi, Jiiva, Jatin Sarna, Chirag Patil, Dinker Sharma, Nishant Dahiya, Harrdy Sandhu, Sahil Khattar, Ammy Virk, Addinath Kothare, Dhairya Karwa and R Badree also rounded out the cast of the critically-acclaimed film.