Kapil Dev and the Indian cricket team stunned the world when they defeated the mighty West Indies in the 1983 World Cup final at Lord's.
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The 1980s was a peculiar period in world cricket. The West Indies were the dominant team in that era. England, Australia were vying for the second spot. It was the like the West Indies and the rest of the world. The Windies had won the 1975 and 1979 World Cup. India won only one match. Their lowest point came in 1979 when they lost to Sri Lanka, at that time an Associate Nation. The 1983 World Cup was expected to follow similar lines, with the Windies completing a hat-trick.
However, before the World Cup, India were playing the West Indies in the Caribbean. The team finally achieved history when they defeated the Windies in an ODI for the first time in Albion. Little did they know at that time, but the win in Albion would springboard their World Cup ambitions.
Although they lost the series in the West Indies, that win at Albion resulted in a massive boost in confidence. India beat the West Indies in both games in the league stages. Although they lost to Australia, India bounced back to win by 162 runs. Kapil Dev played the innings of his life in Turnbridge Wells when he blasted 175 against Zimbabwe. The sad thing about that knock was that it was never telecast. Unfortunately, India were not deemed a big team at that time and that is why there was no coverage.
India reached the semi-final and they were playing against England in Old Trafford. In that match, Roger Binny, Kapil Dev and Mohinder Amarnath were the stars with the ball as India restricted England to 213. Amarnath was in fine form with the bat as well. His 46, combined with Yashpal Sharma’s aggressive 61 and Sandeep Patil’s 51 helped India overcome the target in grand style.
They were one step away from history. India had reached the final and they were going to play the West Indies at Lord’s.
The side had only two players in the team who were part of previous World Cups. The team was apparently more interested in sightseeing rather than winning the match. In the final, Kapil Dev said only three words. “Sheron, Jeet lo. (Tigers, win it).” Those three words were the antithesis of many motivational pep talks. India was going on the hallowed turf at Lord’s into the realm of the unknown.
Sunil Gavaskar fell cheaply. The West Indies quicks were at their fearsome best. Kris Srikkanth hammered 38 while Mohinder Amarnath hit 26. However, India could not stitch some partnerships. Sandeep Patil and Madan Lal hit some big blows but India were bowled out for 183. Srikkanth’s knock of 38 was the highest by any player in the Indian team. The Windies pacers all chipped in with wickets. It seemed to be a formality.
West Indies started off on a poor note with Balwinder Singh Sandhu dismissing Gordon Greenidge for 1. But, Sir Viv Richards was batting on a different wicket altogether. He struck boundaries at will and had raced to 33 off 27 balls. But then, the match changed. Richards mistimed a short ball from Madan Lal. The ball was going to the deep square leg fence. Kapil Dev ran back and took the catch over his head. It was the catch that redefined the term ‘catches win matches.’
With Richards gone, India sensed an opening. Mohinder Amarnath, bowling his dibbly dobbly seam deliveries, tormented the Windies bowling. When Richards was gone, Binny and Lal ripped through the Windies middle order as they were reduced to 76/6. Jeff Dujon, the keeper, stitched a solid partnership of 43 with Malcolm Marshall to keep West Indies in the hunt.
However, Amarnath bowled Dujon and India was once again back in the game. Amarnath dismissed Michael Holding and the moment was etched in history. India had won the World Cup and it changed the entire face of world cricket. It gave inspiration to a billion Indians. The birth of Sachin Tendulkar and all greats of Indian cricket all began with the dream of 1983. June 25, 1983, would be the day Indian cricket would emerge as the superpower of world cricket. It was the ultimate underdog story.
