India’s captain Kapil Dev’s roaring words fuelled the team to fight out a meager 183 against the mighty West Indies
June 25, 1983, let’s roll back 39 years and relive the moment that would be ever etched in the sports books as Immortal, India’s World Cup Win. Kapil Dev put India on the world map as they beat the mighty West Indies in the finals of the World Cup. For a cricket-obsessed nation that you see India now, the World Cup Win was the spark. As the India team faced the mighty West Indies after posting a low total of 183, Kapil Dev’s golden words rekindled the fire for victory. Not many people know that India was one of the lesser-known names in the cricket world and has beaten only one team, East Africa. It was today, that India wrote history at Lords. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting posted a video of the winning moment of the 1983 World Cup Win.
India’s World Cup win was a surprise, players recall no one expected them to win
Although the whole nation is celebrating India’s maiden victory at the Lords, not many know that even the players were not sure. In one of the interviews, many players revealed that they had considered the event as a vacation with the family. Even the sports authority had their tickets reserved till the semi-finals only. The lack of expectation was understandable as India had won a total of 1 match across the previous two editions of the tournament – 1975 and 1979. Leave aside the team management, even the players lacked belief and confidence. Kirti Azad expressed how the members reacted when the team was announced. In an interview with India Today , he revealed that they considered it a month-long paid holiday.
“When I got to know that I have been selected, Jimmy was in Lancaster and I was in Lancashire. I called him and jokingly said I am coming there, let’s go together to the hotel and enjoy the free holiday we have got for a month.”
Players credit Kapil Dev for historic India’s World Cup Win
Players Kirti Azad, Baljinder Singh, and Madan Lal remember how Kapil had sensed India’s Victory. Recalling an incident, Kirti Azad recalled seeing a champagne bottle at the start of the tour. Knowing that Kapil did not drink, he asked him to give the bottle to him instead. Kirti later remembered that it was the same bottle that got opened on the Balcony. Additionally, he said that it was his resolve to ensure the win materializes. Kapil Dev’s memorable knock of 175 not out is still one of the finest in pressure situations. India at that stage was reeling at 17/5.
Relive India’s famous Victory as they deny West Indies a Hat-rick opportunity
There are no prizes for guessing that India was the least favourite team amongst the two. Clive Llyod won the toss and sent India to bat at the iconic Lord’s in London. West Indies team had an all-around team with some of the world’s leading batsmen like Gordon Greenidge and Vivian Richards and a pace attack of Malcolm Marshall, Michael Holding, and Andy Roberts. Here is how the match progressed and the wickets fell.
After Players could only manage 183, India’s World Cup Win chances looked bleak
India got off to a horror start as legendary Sunil Gavaskar fell for just 2 runs to Andy Roberts. However, Kris Srikanth hit a quick 38 after stitching a 57-run stand with Mohinder Amarnath. But quick wickets from the relentless West Indies pacers hurt India’s progress. Yashpal Sharma (11), Sandeep Patil (27), and Kapil Dev (15) all got starts but none of them were able to convert them into big knocks. India could have been bold out earlier had it not been for some contributions of Madan Lal (17), Syed Kirmani (14) and Balwinder Sandhu (11) got them to 183, which is an unforgettable figure in Indian cricket.
West Indies succumbed to incredible Indian medium pacers and fielding
Indian team held on to their horses as they came to defend a total of 183. Recalling their captains famous words when someone pointed him the low total.
Team, if this is not a winning total,it’s definitely a fighting total
Kapil Dev on defending 183 against the West Indies
Sandhu got Gordon Greenidge early to lift India’s hopes, however, Vivian Richards continued to attack the bowlers. Richards hit a blazing 33, hitting 7 boundaries before falling to a spectacular Kapil Dev catch. The catch is one of the most unforgettable moments, as Kapil went running back to take a catch that turned out to be a game-changer. Once Richards was out, Amarnath, Roger Bunny, and Madan Lal scraped the remaining players to seal a memorable victory that forever remains etched. One of the highlights of the match was Amarnath trapping Michael Holding LBW and running back to the dressing room in jubilation is etched in the minds of cricket fans. In a cricket-obsessed nation, it is time to remember the 14-member cricket team led by their manager Mr. PR Singh, who hurled the Indian flag at Lords.
Squad that scripted India’s World Cup Win
- Kapil Dev
- Mohinder Amarnath
- Kirti Azad
- Roger Binny
- Sunil Gavaskar
- Syed Kirmani
- Madan Lal
- Sandip Patil
- Balwinder Sandhu
- Yash Pal Sharma
- Ravi Shastri
- Krishnamachari Srikanth
- Sunil Walson
- Dilip Vengsarkar
India’s World Cup Win created a belief in the Asian team
As cricket became a national obsession, it also compelled the rest of the world to believe that Asians could also win. This has been an emotional feeling while writing about India’s World Cup Win, and the famous words of the captain, ” Let’s fight it out.” 39 years ago, Team India won their first ODI World Cup title by defeating the much-fancied West Indies in the 1983 final. The Kapil Dev-led outfit’s win at the Lord’s changed the face of Indian cricket.
Also read Mithali Raj Announces Retirement. An era of Indian cricket comes to an end
