On This Day in 1983: Kapil Dev led India to its maiden World Cup title
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The 1983 World Cup, a tournament that changed the face of Indian cricket. The victory over champions West Indies at the Lord’s cricket ground filliped the country, elevating the sport to religion for fans with every child wanting to become a cricketer. It changed the face of Indian cricket and compelled the rest of the world to believe that teams from Asia can lay their hands on the trophy as well. West Indies, England, and Australia were the top guns of that period.
In the finals between India and West Indies, the latter won the toss and opted to bowl first. The Kapil Dev-led side managed to score just 183 runs as Andy Roberts took three wickets while Malcolm Marshall, Michael Holding, and Larry Gomes picked up two wickets each. For India, Kris Srikkanth top-scored as he played a knock of 38 runs, apart from him, no other batsmen managed to go past the 30-run mark.
Defending 183, India did a good job of keeping a check on the Windies run flow and Madan Lal then dismissed the key batsmen Vivian Richards (33), reducing Windies to 57/3. Soon after, the team from the Caribbean was reduced to 76/6 and India was the favourites from there on to win the title. Mohinder Amarnath took the final wicket of Michael Holding to give India its first-ever World Cup title win.
In the finals, West Indies was bowled out for 140, and as a result, India won the match by 43 runs. Kapil Dev lifting the trophy at the balcony of Lord’s Cricket Ground still remains an image to savour for all the Indian fans. Mohinder Amarnath was chosen as the Man of the Match as he scored 26 runs with the bat and also picked up three wickets with the ball.
India has been a regular participant in the World Cup from its beginning to the latest edition. The first edition was played in the year 1975 and from there on it has taken place after a span of every four years. The side has won the title two times, first in 1983 and then in 2011. MS Dhoni captained the 2011 team to win their second title after 28 years.
Indian cricket fraternity reminisces about World Cup 1983 win, legend Kapil Dev on its 37th anniversary
Thursday marked the 37th anniversary of India bagging the coveted Cricket World Cup trophy for the first time. Kapil Dev, the then team captain, took to Instagram on Thursday to reminisce about the win by sharing an iconic picture of him holding the World Cup trophy with the caption, “37 years to a day that will never be forgotten.”
Also Read: ‘Better team won in the conditions’ – Indian Coach Ravi Shastri Respects New Zealand’s Hard-Earned Victory in WTC Final|Team India WTC Schedule Revealed for Second Edition; Rematch Against New Zealand to Take Place in November 2021
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Bhavesh Hemwani
(54 Articles Published)