Exactly 36 years back at the iconic Lord’s cricket stadium, London, India registered its name in history books as it became the first team other than the mighty West Indies to win the Prudential World Cup, on June 25, 1983.
West Indies had won the the inaugural tournament in 1975 followed by the second edition in 1979. England was the official host of the Prudential Cups till 1983. The total overs played by each team in an innings was also 60 as compared to today's 50. Also this time, every team had to play against each other twice to enter the semifinals. A fielding circle (actually an oval) was introduced, 30 yards away from the stumps. Four fielders had to be inside it at all times.
India made its way to final by defeating England by 6 wickets, thanks to the fifties by Sandeep Patil and Yashpal Sharma. West Indies defeated Pakistan by 8 wickets. On this day, 36 years back India faced West Indies at the Lord's Cricket Stadium. Windies captain Clive Lloyd won the toss and elected to field first. With K Srikkanth, Mohinder Amarnath and Sandeep Patil ‘s small contributions, India managed to put a low total of 183 against the fierce bowling of Sir Andy Roberts, Malcolm Marshall and Michael Holding.
Windies, with confidence, came to bat but soon lost Gordon Greenidge to Balwinder Sandhu. Then came the legendary Sir Vivian Richards, who took forward the pace of the match by scoring boundaries. It was Madan Lal who then gave the major breakthrough by sending off Richards. Not to forget the iconic, breathtaking catch by Kapil Dev. The catch was a sheer class of athleticism and judgement. After Richards, the Caribbean team faltered at the hands of Madan Lal and Mohinder Amarnath who took three wickets each. As soon as Amarnath caught Holding leg before, the crowd from the stadium erupted in joy and rushed to the ground.
Kapil Dev with 1983 World Cup trophy. | Twitter/ICC
India had defeated West Indies and became the first Asian team to win the World Cup. Mohinder Amarnath was declared the man of the match and the picture of Kapil Dev holding the World Cup got enshrined in the books of history. Prime Minister Indira Gandhi declared a nationwide holiday in a move to celebrate the India’s maiden World Cup triumph.
In 2011, after 28 years, MS Dhoni created history by lifting the World Cup for the second time at Wankhede stadium in Mumbai. And now, India is looking to lift its third World Cup under the captaincy of Virat Kohli. The hosts are the same and the venue for the finals is same - the iconic Lord’s.
