India may be one of the most dominant cricketing nations in the world at the moment, but the seeds of dominance were sown on this day, 39 years ago when the Kapil Dev-led Indian team defeated the mighty West to win the coveted Cricket World Cup trophy. Indies in the final. On June 25, 1983, India created history and stunned the world by rallying against the odds and winning the coveted trophy at the Lord’s Cricket Ground, the home of cricket.
Not many gave India a chance when they reached the UK for their World Cup campaign. The lack of hope was understandable as India had won a total of 1 match in the last two editions of the tournament – 1975 and 1979.
In fact, many Indian players themselves did not believe that the team could go ahead and create history. Kirti Azad best described the mood of the camp when India’s World Cup squad was announced.
“When I found out I had been selected, Jimmy was in Lancaster and I was in Lancashire. I called him and joked that I was coming over there, let’s go to the hotel together and get a month of free vacation. take pleasure. , ” Azad told India Today Advisory Editor Rajdeep Sardesai during the 38th anniversary of the World Cup victory last year.
Kapil and he bottle of champagne
However, Kapil Dev had the determination to make sure India made all the right noise in the UK. The influential captain firmly believed that India went to England not to score numbers but to create a stir. And, India did exactly that.
“When that tour was starting I saw a small champagne bottle in (Kapil Dev’s) bag. I asked him to give it to us. ‘What are you going to do with this? You don’t drink’.
“But he kept it till the end. And if you see, that was the first bottle that opened on the balcony of the Lord. We tried to take it from him but he didn’t. He believed from the beginning that we could do it.” Win,” Azad had said, highlighting Kapil’s resolve.
India started their campaign by defeating defending champions West Indies twice and then again. India defeated Zimbabwe in their second group-stage match but suffered major defeats to Australia and West Indies in subsequent matches. Then came Kapil Dev’s celebrated 175 against Zimbabwe at Tunbridge Wells – a knock that pushed the rest of the team towards the end goal.
In the big final, India were up against the mighty West Indies, who were looking to complete a hat-trick of World Cup wins. It was Clive Lloyd who won the toss and sent India to bat at the prestigious Lord’s in London.
India had a scary start as the great Sunil Gavaskar fell for just 2 runs at the hands of Andy Roberts. However, Kris Srikkanth made a quick 38-run stand with Mohinder Amarnath sharing a 57-run stand.
But the fast wickets of the relentless West Indies fast bowlers affected India’s progress. Yashpal Sharma (11), Sandeep Patil (27), Kapil Dev (15) started well but no one could convert them into big innings.
India were in danger of being bowled out for less than 150, but useful contributions from Madan Lal (17), Syed Kirmani (14) and Balwinder Sandhu (11) took them to 183, an unforgettable figure in Indian cricket.
183 looked weak against the mighty West Indies, but Kapil Dev’s men were accused of giving their much-anticipated opponents a run for their money.
Sandhu caught Gordon Greenidge early to live up to India’s hopes, but Vivian Richards broke a million Indian hearts as he opened the attack on the Indian bowlers.
Richards hit 7 fours for 33 off 28 balls but it was a combination of Madan Lal and Kapil Dev that stopped the run machine from taking the game away from India.
In an unforgettable moment that has become a part of the history of Indian cricket, Kapil Dev ran backwards to take a brilliant catch and dismissed Richards as being dismissed was a game-changing moment.
With Richards early return to the hut, India had their tails up. Amarnath, Madan Lal, Kapil himself, Sandhu and Roger Binny won their hearts as West Indies were bundled out for 140.
The image of Amarnath trapped in the LBW lbw and going back to the dressing room in joy is etched in the minds of cricket fans.
On this day, 39 years ago, Kapil Dev lifted the World Cup trophy on the balcony of Lord’s, prompting millions to take up the sport. A country which had always loved its cricket, became obsessed with the game after Kapil’s victory over Lord’s by the Devils that day.