Cricket is the most famous support in India. This game gained popularity after the 1983 world cup where India was an underdog team which won against the defending champions and tournament favorites West Indies in the world cup final of 1983. No one believed that India would win the world cup. India proved to them that they are an equal rival in the game. The most important game for India in the world cup would be the final match against West Indies. But their overall journey created some of the most magical moments in the history of the World Cup. In this article we will know about the moments that made India the World Champions.
The unforgettable moments in the World Cup
The very first match in World Cup
In the 1983 World Cup the first team that India faced was none other than the West Indies. They were defending champions and Tournament favorites. Their lineup was considered the Perfect Line up. In the batting department they had players like Viv Richards and Clive Lloyd. In the bowling department they had Michael Holding, Andy Roberts, Malcom Marshall and Joel Garner.
Determined to start on a winning note, a match-winning knock by Yashpal Sharma (89), saw India put up 262 runs on the scoreboard, which was the highest innings total put up by the Indian cricket team during the world cup. The mighty West Indian batting line up, could not chase the score, and India won their first ever match in a World Cup tournament by 34 runs.
The Performance of the Best Wicket Keeper
The Second match of India was against the Zimbabwe team. In this match the Indian Wicket keeper Syed Kirmani played the most important role. He took five catches in a single match. It was a record for most dismissals for a ‘keeper in an innings at the World Cup. Zimbabwe were dismissed for 155 runs, and India won their second consecutive game by 5 wickets.
The unseen century of Indian Captain
India lost its third and fourth consecutive match. India were looking at another exit from the World Cup, in the preliminary round. Things got even more grim, when India, sent in to bat by Zimbabwe, were reduced to 17/5. Then Kapil Dev walked in to bat, and played with what is still considered to be one of the best innings in a world cup match. Dev scored 175 runs, off just 138 balls, with 16 fours and six sixes. His century partnership with Syed Kirmani saw India score over 250 runs. The score was a little too many for Zimbabwe, who lost the match by 31 runs.
The Bowling Trio against Australia
The next match against Australia was an important match. This game saw the entire team’s contribution in the match.The batting contribution where every batsmen contributed with important runs and took India’s score to 247-run mark. The bowling trio of India which were Roger Binny, Stuart Binny and Balwinder Sandhu took all 10 Aussie wickets and dismissed the team for a mere 129 runs.
The Best all-rounder in the Indian team
Mohinder Amarnath the best all rounder in the Indian team. He remains the only player in the history of one-day international cricket, to have won the Player/Man-Of-The-Match award in semi-final and the final of a world cup tournament, apart from Aarvinda de Silva. In the semi final against England, the England Team were looking at a comfortable score of 141/ 3, when Amarnath’s stifling spell removed the tournament’s leading run getter, David Gower and Mike Gatting. England lost their last seven wickets for 72 runs. Chasing 214, to reach the finals, Amarnath again contributed this time with the bat and scored a well-deserved 50.
The Viv Richards catch in World Cup Final
The Indian batting lineup scored 183 runs. And West Indies sure-shot looked like they were on the way to their third World Cup, with Viv Richards in 33 runs off 27 balls. His confidence was high and he decided to take the aerial root on the on side, but couldn’t time the ball. And then Kapil Dev ran to take a catch, which changed India’s fortune in the final and the sport’s fortune in the country. From a 50/1 West Indies were bowled out for a 140, thanks to another stifling bowling spell from the Man-Of -The Match, Mohinder Amarnath (3/12).
References from :-
https://www.cricbuzz.com/cricket-series/504/prudential-world-cup-1983/matches
