On This Day in 1983: India Stuns Mighty West Indies, Wins Cricket World Cup!

When India landed in the English shores in 1983 for the World Cup, the odds weren’t in their favour. India hadn’t won any major global trophy since then and were set to face the likes of West Indies and Australia. A few might have predicted that the Kapil Dev-led side would overcome a powerhouse like the West Indies to clinch the World Cup.

The Indian players put their heart and soul into the tournament and their dedication was evident from the very first game. West Indies were the team to beat those days, having won the World Cup in 1975 and 1979. Their batting order had names like Gordon Greenidge, Viv Richards and Clive Lloyd while the bowling features fearsome pacers. India were placed in a difficult Group B alongside the Caribbean unit, Australia and Zimbabwe.

Kapil Dev and his men raised eyebrows when they beat the West Indies by 34 runs in the campaign opener. India registered three more victories in the league stage and finished second in the Group B table with 16 points. They were up against England in the first semi-final in Manchester and won by six wickets to reach the final.

The final was hosted at Lord’s on June 25. The West Indies entered the match as the favourites. Till then, the two-time champions had lost only one game and it was the tournament opener against India. Clive Lloyd and Co were desperate to turn the tables in the final and complete a hat-trick of World Cup triumphs.

The West Indies won the toss and sent their opponents to bat first in the final. Sunil Gavaskar, one of India’s batting mainstays, managed only two runs on the big day. The other opener, Krishnamachari Srikkanth then joined hands with Mohinder Amarnath. The duo revived the innings by stitching a 57-run partnership.

Srikkanth was the top-scorer for India with 38 runs while Amarnath contributed 26 runs to the scoreboard. Sandeep Patil also had a good outing and scored 27 runs off 29 balls. Kapil Dev, Madan Lal and Syed Kirmani chipped in with some crucial cameos as India posted 183 runs on the board, losing all wickets in 54.4 overs.

Balwinder Sandhu gave India early success by dismissing West Indies opener Gordon Greenidge. Viv Richards looked to be a man on a mission. He singlehandedly kept the scoreboard ticking and struck 33 off 28 balls. India heaved a sigh of relief when Madan Lal took the wicket of Richards, trapping him for a catch off Kapil Dev with a slower delivery.

For the West Indies, Jeff Dujon and Malcolm Marshall made some late effort in the chase. It was not enough to change the course of the game. The reigning champions were ultimately bundled out for 140 runs in the 52nd over. Madan Lal and Mohinder Amarnath collected three wickets each and Balwinder Sandhu got two.

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