T20 cricket is the most popular form of the game now. It is because of T20s that new horizons are opening up for cricket like Asian Games and possibly Olympics in future. It is because a nation of 1.2 billion people and the cricket powerhouse won the inaugural trophy in 2007. T20s progression has been unstoppable ever since. Butt all this was just a repeat of history which was made about 24 years earlier at Lords. India at that time was considered a minnow in ODIs. But the world cup win under Kapil Dev not only transformed the future of the game in India but it provided a catalyst for its global spread. The format which was out of bound for them became so popular that their fans considered it to be the best thing since sliced bread. World cup win in 1983 changed the face of India and fate of its people. It may sound a bit exaggerated but steps like these instill belief in the minds and passion in the hearts of a nation which kick-start a new journey of change and development.
In the first two world cups India had only one win. It was against an associate member, East Africa. They had been upstaged by another associate Sri Lanka in the previous cup. And the state of their game was symbolized by Gavaskar’s ‘marathon’ innings of 36 off 174 balls in the first world cup. Indians simply were not cut out for limited overs version. After thrashing at the hands of traditional rivals Pakistan a few months back captaincy had changed hands. Gavaskar was snubbed and Kapil Dev the 24 years old ace all-rounder was handed over the reigns. With this change, attitude changed. India beat West Indies in an ODI in their backyard in March 1983 under Kapil. Snail like Gavaskar was striking at nearly 80 and traditional spinners gave way to medium pacers who could strangle the scoring rate and get wickets in the process by adding pressure. Man at the center stage was the captain himself who contributed in all departments of the game, scoring runs when required the most, taking wickets at crucial stages and setting example in the field too. India was transforming but no one took them seriously when they landed in UK for the Cup. The odds were 66-1 on an unlikely Indian win before the tournament.
India had won their opening encounter against the defending champions but were beaten savagely by Australia. West Indies took revenge in the next game but the match which turned the world Cup on its head was against Zimbabwe. Reeling at 17 for six, Kapil Dev played one of the best ODI knocks not only to bail India out but signal the start of something special. They beat England in the semis handsomely. Now those who were laughing off at the prospect of an Indian win started to sulk. Those who did not pay attention started to think of victory as an out side chance. Kim Hughes must have been trying in vain to hide his smile as he was the only man who had tipped India as ‘dark horses’ before the World Cup.
Clive Lloyd won the toss and elected to field first at Lords where 24,609 spectators were anticipating a hat-trick of West Indian wins. In the tournament batting proved to be difficult early on in the innings. Joel Garner and Andy Roberts started throwing thunderbolts at the Indian batsmen. Gavaskar went cheaply caught at the wicket off Roberts. Garner was nearly unplayable but could not get early wickets. Kris Srikkanth was dealing with quartet of the pace battery with a brave heart. He hooked a ferocious Roberts bouncer for six and then cracked a square driven four while on his knees. The tempo was set but he departed somewhat prematurely after making 38 off 57 balls. Most of the remaining batsmen added bit by bit and India was dismissed for 183 in the 55th over. Next best batsmen were Sandeep Patil and Mohinder Amarnath who contributed with 27 and 26 respectively. Roberts took three while Marshall, Holding and Gomes chipped in with two wickets each. A small target indeed for the mighty Caribbean men. Lunch would have been tastier for Lloyd than for Kapil.
West Indian openers strolled out to bat to complete the formality. Balwinder Singh Sandhu produced the ball of his life, a vicious in-swinger which Greenidge left alone to be bowled quite embarrassingly in the second over of the innings. Then entered the king, Viv Richards who typically started hitting the ball all around the ground as ferociously as he was chewing his gum. With Haynes he put on 45 runs until the latter was dismissed by Madan Lal. Then came the moment which changed the match and metamorphosed Indian cricket for ever. Richards batting on 33 off 27 balls was looking all set to shut the match for India. After hitting a flurry of fours he chose to hit Madan Lal for a pull over mid wicket. Kapil like a man destined for glory saw the ball go towards mid-wicket. He ran towards it from mid-on looking up and taking long strides rather than sprinting. The ball was dropping toward his right and in front when he hung out both his hands to hold on to the catch and effectually the trophy. Richards not knowing what was to follow disappeared into the pavilion chewing away the gum without a break.
Clive Lloyd came to the crease to ensure smooth sailing from there onwards. But he too departed early handing an easy catch to that man Kapil again at mid-off. Having watched Larry Gomes dismissed the previous over, it was an irresponsible shot from an over-confident captain. Three wickets had gone for just nine runs in quick time. The situation had become tricky now and West Indians started feeling the pressure. But when Sandhu removed Faoud Bacchus to leave the West Indies at 76 for six, West Indians suddenly found they had lost all their batsmen with only Jeff Dujon on the crease. The spectators and commentators still could not believe what was happening out there. Indians were ecstatic and ever more expectant now. There were broad smiles on their faces and they were coming hard at the remaining batsmen. Dujon and Marshall orchestrated a fighting 43 run stand for the 7th wicket. At this juncture Kapil introduced Mohinder Amarnath to bowl his gentle medium pace. Through his swing and accuracy he swung the match indubitably towards India. Dujon looking set at the crease tried to leave an in-coming ball and played on to signal the end of West Indian resistance. Then it was all formality as the tail-enders danced to the tunes of the Indian bowlers and West Indies were dismissed for 140 in 52 overs.
A billion people burst into joy and tears when Amarnath took the final wicket of Michael Holding getting him plumb LBW. Holding was left utterly disappointed and gutted as if he was on his way to turning the tide despite the fact that they still required 43 runs in eight overs. It was such an unexpected outcome, such an upset. Amarnath took three for twelve off seven overs while Madan Lal took three and Sandhu two wickets. For his all-round performance Amarnath was named man of the match but the turning point of the match was indeed that catch by Kapil.
When Kapil Dev lifted the trophy at Lords he might not have realized what impact this win would have on One Day International form of the game. He had inspired his team through his all-round skills by scoring 303 runs and taking 12 wickets in eight matches. He also took seven catches in the tournament. He truly became a living legend. He had started a new era for India which laid the foundation for them to become a future cricket power.
In the first two world cups India had only one win. It was against an associate member, East Africa. They had been upstaged by another associate Sri Lanka in the previous cup. And the state of their game was symbolized by Gavaskar’s ‘marathon’ innings of 36 off 174 balls in the first world cup. Indians simply were not cut out for limited overs version. After thrashing at the hands of traditional rivals Pakistan a few months back captaincy had changed hands. Gavaskar was snubbed and Kapil Dev the 24 years old ace all-rounder was handed over the reigns. With this change, attitude changed. India beat West Indies in an ODI in their backyard in March 1983 under Kapil. Snail like Gavaskar was striking at nearly 80 and traditional spinners gave way to medium pacers who could strangle the scoring rate and get wickets in the process by adding pressure. Man at the center stage was the captain himself who contributed in all departments of the game, scoring runs when required the most, taking wickets at crucial stages and setting example in the field too. India was transforming but no one took them seriously when they landed in UK for the Cup. The odds were 66-1 on an unlikely Indian win before the tournament.
India had won their opening encounter against the defending champions but were beaten savagely by Australia. West Indies took revenge in the next game but the match which turned the world Cup on its head was against Zimbabwe. Reeling at 17 for six, Kapil Dev played one of the best ODI knocks not only to bail India out but signal the start of something special. They beat England in the semis handsomely. Now those who were laughing off at the prospect of an Indian win started to sulk. Those who did not pay attention started to think of victory as an out side chance. Kim Hughes must have been trying in vain to hide his smile as he was the only man who had tipped India as ‘dark horses’ before the World Cup.
Clive Lloyd won the toss and elected to field first at Lords where 24,609 spectators were anticipating a hat-trick of West Indian wins. In the tournament batting proved to be difficult early on in the innings. Joel Garner and Andy Roberts started throwing thunderbolts at the Indian batsmen. Gavaskar went cheaply caught at the wicket off Roberts. Garner was nearly unplayable but could not get early wickets. Kris Srikkanth was dealing with quartet of the pace battery with a brave heart. He hooked a ferocious Roberts bouncer for six and then cracked a square driven four while on his knees. The tempo was set but he departed somewhat prematurely after making 38 off 57 balls. Most of the remaining batsmen added bit by bit and India was dismissed for 183 in the 55th over. Next best batsmen were Sandeep Patil and Mohinder Amarnath who contributed with 27 and 26 respectively. Roberts took three while Marshall, Holding and Gomes chipped in with two wickets each. A small target indeed for the mighty Caribbean men. Lunch would have been tastier for Lloyd than for Kapil.
West Indian openers strolled out to bat to complete the formality. Balwinder Singh Sandhu produced the ball of his life, a vicious in-swinger which Greenidge left alone to be bowled quite embarrassingly in the second over of the innings. Then entered the king, Viv Richards who typically started hitting the ball all around the ground as ferociously as he was chewing his gum. With Haynes he put on 45 runs until the latter was dismissed by Madan Lal. Then came the moment which changed the match and metamorphosed Indian cricket for ever. Richards batting on 33 off 27 balls was looking all set to shut the match for India. After hitting a flurry of fours he chose to hit Madan Lal for a pull over mid wicket. Kapil like a man destined for glory saw the ball go towards mid-wicket. He ran towards it from mid-on looking up and taking long strides rather than sprinting. The ball was dropping toward his right and in front when he hung out both his hands to hold on to the catch and effectually the trophy. Richards not knowing what was to follow disappeared into the pavilion chewing away the gum without a break.
Clive Lloyd came to the crease to ensure smooth sailing from there onwards. But he too departed early handing an easy catch to that man Kapil again at mid-off. Having watched Larry Gomes dismissed the previous over, it was an irresponsible shot from an over-confident captain. Three wickets had gone for just nine runs in quick time. The situation had become tricky now and West Indians started feeling the pressure. But when Sandhu removed Faoud Bacchus to leave the West Indies at 76 for six, West Indians suddenly found they had lost all their batsmen with only Jeff Dujon on the crease. The spectators and commentators still could not believe what was happening out there. Indians were ecstatic and ever more expectant now. There were broad smiles on their faces and they were coming hard at the remaining batsmen. Dujon and Marshall orchestrated a fighting 43 run stand for the 7th wicket. At this juncture Kapil introduced Mohinder Amarnath to bowl his gentle medium pace. Through his swing and accuracy he swung the match indubitably towards India. Dujon looking set at the crease tried to leave an in-coming ball and played on to signal the end of West Indian resistance. Then it was all formality as the tail-enders danced to the tunes of the Indian bowlers and West Indies were dismissed for 140 in 52 overs.
A billion people burst into joy and tears when Amarnath took the final wicket of Michael Holding getting him plumb LBW. Holding was left utterly disappointed and gutted as if he was on his way to turning the tide despite the fact that they still required 43 runs in eight overs. It was such an unexpected outcome, such an upset. Amarnath took three for twelve off seven overs while Madan Lal took three and Sandhu two wickets. For his all-round performance Amarnath was named man of the match but the turning point of the match was indeed that catch by Kapil.
When Kapil Dev lifted the trophy at Lords he might not have realized what impact this win would have on One Day International form of the game. He had inspired his team through his all-round skills by scoring 303 runs and taking 12 wickets in eight matches. He also took seven catches in the tournament. He truly became a living legend. He had started a new era for India which laid the foundation for them to become a future cricket power.
Published in sportpulse.net
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