World Cup 1983: India! India!! The Tournament That Changed World Cricket Forever

JUNE 25, 1983, was a date that changed the philosophy and order of cricket forever. After this day, the teams from the sub-continent were no longer also-rans in the race for cricket supremacy and over a very short span, India emerged as a world cricket superpower, thanks to the millions of fans back home who generated an industry that now rules the economics of the sport.

All that was thanks to that World Cup in 1983, when a bunch of players ambled into England with precious little hope of doing anything big and returned as champions, players who are still feted and celebrated. This was the World Cup of change.

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Little Hope

India, led by that Haryana star Kapil Dev, went into England with very little to bank on. In the past two World Cups in 1975 and 1979, India had a single win, that too over unknown East Africa and had the ignominy of losing to associate nation Sri Lanka in the second edition.

So, when the team left for England, everyone in it was looking at another short tour, and several plans had been made within the side to travel to the US once they were done with the tournament, much before the final.

Their mood couldn’t have improved when they saw the West Indies in their group. This was a side that had run over anyone in their way to win both the 1975 and 1979 editions of the tournament and India surely could not change that.

Incredible

But incredibly, India did change that. Their first league match of the tournament, on June 9 at Old Trafford, Manchester, saw India pitted against the Caribbeans and history was made.

Yashpal Sharma was the hero with a fighting 89 as India scored 262/8 in their 60 overs and the West Indians, to their and the cricket world’s utter shock, fell short.

Roger Binny claimed 3/48 off 12 overs and Ravi Shastri had 3/26 and the West Indies fell short by 34 runs. India were on their way.

The Wheels Coming Off

Despite this win, this was a big league to play – each side played the other twice – so this could still go south. India beat Zimbabwe in their next game but then Australia came down on them like a ton of bricks.

Opener Trevor Chappell scored a century as Australia scored 320/9, Kapil Dev’s 5/43 notwithstanding.

India were dismissed for 158, with Kapil getting 40 runs and Kris Srikkanth 39. Ken MacLeay’s 6/39 was just too much.

Then it was the West Indies again. Vivian Richards scored a century and despite a late-order collapse, the West Indies scored 282/9. India’s reply was orchestrated by Mohinder Amarnath’s 80, but there was little else as they fell to a 66-run loss.

India were now looking down the barrel. They had to win everything from here to have any hope of making it to the semi-finals.

Kapil Dev’s Magic

Tunbridge Wells on June 18 was looking like the end. Zimbabwe reduced India to 9/4 and then 17/5 before Kapil Dev, with some company from Binny, took India to 77 before two more wickets fell.

But Kapil was not to be denied. His incredible record 175 not out, lost to the world because of a strike by the broadcasters, was unreal. It came off 138 balls with 16 boundaries and six sixes. Any modern-day batter would be challenged to achieve that strike rate

Syed Kirmani remained 24 not out as India reached 266/8 and the shell-shocked Zimbabwe capitulated.

Then came Australia again, but by this time, India believed. Their 247 off 55.5 overs didn’t look enough but Binny and Madan Lal claimed four wickets apiece as Australia were dismissed for 129.

Miracle Unfolds

India were in the semi-finals! This was a shock to the powers of the sport and a sensation for the expatriate crowd in England.

But the title was still not in their reach. After all, they had to get past the hosts in the semis.

England batted first and an ominous 69-run opening stand between Graeme Fowler and Chris Tavare was threatening before Binny took care of both. Kapil Dev claimed three wickets while Binny and Amarnath had two apiece, while Kirti Azad’s off-spin sent the dangerous Ian Botham back and England could muster only 213.

Yashpal Sharma score a fine 61 and everyone in the top order chipped in as India sailed through, with Sandeep Patil (51 not out) hitting the winning runs.

India were in the final!

India! India!!

The final at Lord’s was a foregone conclusion, or at least the West Indies team and fans thought so. They expatriate Caribbeans thronged the ground but the Indian fans were not to be undone. It was quite the stage for history to be made.

India batted first and the West Indies fast-bowling battery was in no mood to let them into the match. But Srikkanth scored a courageous 38, taking the attack to the bowlers and Amarnath chipped in with 26. Patil contributed 27 and the tail, in Madan Lal, Kirmani and Balwinder Sandhu, scored some crucial runs. But 183 was not much of a target.

Sandhu was back in action when Gordon Greenidge shouldered arms to an inswinger and lost his stumps, but Richards was in no mood to let the match meander.

The star clobbered 33 off 28 deliveries with seven boundaries and it looked like curtains for India before Kapil Dev grabbed a skier that changed the entire match.

The rest is history, much repeated and celebrated. Amarnath claimed three wickets, as did Madan Lal, while Sandhu had two as West Indies collapsed for 140 in 52 overs.

India were champions. That day began what has been a legend, which lives on, and will for as long as sport is played. That was the day when India became viable, and never looked back.