1983 World Cup

 In spite of the final result in the history of cricket, the 1983 World Cup is now known as one of the most astonishing tournaments. India emerged as the underdog and the rise of Indian Cricket was finally marked by this World Cup.

In spite of the final result in the history of cricket, the 1983 World Cup is now known as one of the most astonishing tournaments. When a virtually underdog nation shook the world of cricket, the mighty West Indies were searching for a hat-trick to win the World Cup.

The Underdog:

Up until 1983, the Indian World Cup team managed to win just 12 of the 40 ODI matches they played. India had won just one match in the previous two World Cups, and against East Africa too, the minnows who qualified after playing the ICC Trophy. The team was founded by cricketers from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Zambia. Interestingly, that was also the Indian cricket team's first victory in One Day cricket. In 1979, they even lost to Sri Lanka, the island nation that did not have test status till the time.

Before the 1983 World Cup, India had some ODI moments. Australia, England, New Zealand and neighboring countries such as Sri Lanka and Pakistan have won over them. The biggest moment, however, came just before the World Cup when India won a match against the then West Indies World Championship. On 29 March 1983, the 50-over match saw the Indian team defeat the Windies by 27 runs with Kapil Dev earning the Man-of-the-Match award with 72 out of 38 innings and scalping two wickets.

Entry to Semi-Final:

The participants in the 1983 WC were mostly divided into two classes. England, Pakistan, New Zealand and Sri Lanka were in Group A. England finished the group stage as the leading team, as the favorites, led by the Kiwis in the second.

The Indians started their journey to the World Cup as a part of Group B by continuing their good form against the Windies. When they beat the Windies by 34 runs, they won their first match. But the loss was considered a fluke and West Indies showed why they were the world champions in their next match. By 101 runs they defeated Australia. India also won their second group match, on the other hand, and defeated Zimbabwe by five wickets. The third match for India was a reality check for them. Chasing 320 runs, for just 158 against Australia, they were all out. The next match, which India lost again, was against the Windies.

One of the finest innings in the history of the cricket world cup was in India's next game against Zimbabwe. From the front, Kapil Dev led and played the innings of his life. At 17/5, India was struggling and was on the verge of getting eliminated. Kapil took the lead and scored 175 out of 138, which assured the Indian team a competitive score of 266, this was the first-ever century in ODIs by an Indian. India won the game, followed by another Australian victory, where Kapil took five wickets and became the first Indian ever to accomplish that feat. Eventually, with India trailing them, West Indies led the table and both teams qualified for the semi-finals. Two other Group B participants, Australia and Zimbabwe, were also out of the tournament.

Welcome to the Finale:

Almost all wanted the West Indies and England to play in the Lord's final of the World Cup on 25 June. The case was different for England, while West Indies went through the semi-final against Pakistan and headed toward the final to defend their title for the third time.

England first decided to bat then, at regular intervals, began to lose wickets. England was reduced to 213 thanks to the combined efforts of the Indian bowlers. Kapil Dev set an example once again and took three wickets to bring an end to the English innings. All contributed to India and Yashpal Sharma and Sandip Patil's fifties made sure they followed the goal in 55 overs to reach the World Cup final for the first time.

So it was sort of a fine, steady Indian team display that helped them reach the final stage. But still, it was considered to be an upset and in the finale, West Indies was supposed to be the big favorite.

The ‘Anti’ Climax:

Batting first, consisting of Andy Roberts, Joel Garner, Malcolm Marshall and Michael Keeping, India had to face a bowling attack. While Kris Srikkanth, with seven fours and one six, created 38 out of 52, that was the Indian batting line-highest up's individual score. When the Indians were all out for 183 in 55 overs, it did not surprise anyone. At that moment, with the West Indies being the best chasing team, everybody could foresee the outcome.

Mohinder Amarnath and Madan Lal produced magic with the ball after a marvelous late outswinger from Balwinder Sandhu helped to get rid of Greenidge. They ran through the batting line up of the West Indies and each scalped three wickets. The best Windies bat, Viv Richards, was able to generate the highest individual score of 33 out of 28 and was out when Kapil took a magical catch after running backwards for about hundred metres. The scores of top five Windies batsmen in the batting line up read, 1, 13, 33, 8 and 5 and despite a late fight from Jef Dujon and Malcolm Marshall West Indies lost the match by 43 runs.

Yeah, it was shocking and unexpected. There are also different explanations for identifying it as a fluke. India was just ahead of Sri Lanka before the World Cup in terms of win-loss ratio. This was just one of the Indian team's six wins in 32 matches between India and the West Indies in the 1980s. In reality, West Indies toured India within a few months of this tournament and whitewashed the home nation in a five-match ODI series. But still, the team efforts and the guts Indians displayed were commendable in front of a formidable team like West Indies. The reason for the development of cricket in India, which changed the game globally in the next 20 years, was this win. This was the reason behind the birth of a religion in India called cricket. As well as the decline of West Indies cricket, this day marked the beginning of the rise of Indian cricket.