Relive India’s Iconic Winning Moments Of 1983 ODI World Cup Triumph

New Delhi: On this day in 1983, Kapil Dev and his India side made history, as they won the ICC Cricket World Cup for the first time. Lord’s was the scene for India’s greatest cricketing triumph at the time, as they beat two-time winners West Indies by 43 runs to lift the coveted trophy.

The West Indies entered the finals as the favoured, having won the previous two world cups in 1975 and 1979. Put to bat first by WI, India had a disappointing start, losing their star batter Sunil Gavaskar for just 2. Afterwards, it was Kris Srikkanth and Mohinder Amarnath who helped India recover from this early hiccup, forming a 57-run stand, which was broken by pacer Malcolm Marshall by dismissing Srikkanth for 38.

Yashpal Sharma and Mohinder Amarnath then carried on, but a well-set Amarnath was dismissed for 26 by pacer Michael Holding. India was 3/90 at that stage. From then onwards, nothing really went right for India as they kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Sandeep Patil with a 27 tried to keep things steady for India.

Also, Captain Kapil Dev (15), Madan Lal (17) and Syed Kirmani, the wicketkeeper (14) tried their best to support Patil but Windies’ bowling attack overpowered them, ending their knocks prematurely. Kirmani and bowler Balwinder Singh Sandhu (11*) stitched a vital 30-run stand in the end, taking India to 183 in 54.4 overs before all the batters were back in the hut.

Chasing 184, the Windies were not of the most ideal start, losing Gordon Greenidge for just 1 run at the team’s score of five. Sandhu the medium pacer had done the job for India by giving his side some early momentum.

Richards continued to look good, smashing seven majestic boundaries fitting the occasion of the final and a batter of his stature. It looked like he could continue for long and help WI complete a hat-trick of World Cups.

But Lal gave Team India perhaps its biggest breakthrough by dismissing Richards for 33 off 28, with Kapil Dev taking a marvellous running catch. Larry Gomes (5), Captain Clive Llyod (8) and Faoud Bacchus (8) fell quickly, sinking WI to 6/76, on the brink of a humiliating defeat. The trio of Binny-Sandhu and Lal took these wickets.

Afterwards, wicketkeeper-batter Jeff Dujon and Malcolm Marshall tried to stabilise the innings for WI, stitching a stand of 43 runs which was broken by medium pacer Mohinder Amarnath by dismissing Dujon for 25. He also took the wicket of Marshall soon.

With the Windies at 124/8, the rest of their batting could not do much. Kapil Dev and Amarnath delivered two final blows to the Windies, ending their innings at 140.

Iconic Winning Moments Of 1983 ODI World Cup Triumph

Madan Lal (3/31) and Mohinder Amarnath (3/12) delivered in heaps for India at their medium pace. Sandhu also bowled well, taking 2/32. Kapil Dev and Roger Binny also took a wicket each. The day belonged completely to India and its pace attack in particular.