OTD: When India won the 1983 World Cup - Meet Kapil's Devils!

On 25th June 1983, India, under the captaincy of Kapil Dev, won the cricket World Cup in Lord's. Sportstar takes a look at how the Indian cricketers fared.

Published : Jun 25, 2020 07:56 IST

Photo: The HINDU ARCHIVES

Kapil Dev: Leading from the front, the Indian skipper had memorable outing in the tournament. In eight appearances, he scalped 12 wickets, including a five-for against Australia in a group match. He had a fairy-tale campaign with the willow as well, as he amassed 303 runs -- the highest for his team -- with an average of 60.60. However, the highlight was his unbeaten 175 against Zimbabwe. In a must-win game, India was reeling at 9-4 and then entered Kapil, who not only rescued the team, but also paved the way for India’s victory.

Sunil Gavaskar: The diminutive right-hander had a rather quiet World Cup by his lofty standards. He managed only 59 runs in six matches and was out for a 12-ball 2 in the final against the West Indies at Lord's.

Photo: The Hindu Archives

Yashpal Sharma: In the eight fixtures that he featured in, Yashpal Sharma scored 240 runs -- the second-highest total in the Indian team -- with an average of 34.28. Sharma’s 89-run innings in a group match against the West Indies helped India stun the two-time world champions by 34 runs.

Photo: The Hindu Archives

Mohinder Amarnath: The cricketing fraternity often credits Amarnath for India’s title victory, and rightly so. The all-rounder played a key role in the team’s success and he contributed 237 runs with the bat and also scalped eight wickets. Averaging 29.62, Amarnath played a gritty knock of 80 in a group league match and helped India stay on course. In the final against West Indies, he was adjudged the Player of the Match, for scalping three wickets and contributing 26 runs with the bat.

Photo: The Hindu Archives

Roger Binny: The pace ace was the highest wicket-taker, with 18 scalps. In the fixture against Australia, Binny scalped a four-for. With the bat, he contributed 73 runs in six innings, with the highest score of 27.

Photo: The Hindu Archives

Sandip Patil: The swashbuckling batsman’s unbeaten 51 guided India to a six-wicket win the semifinal against England. After restricting the host team to 213, India cruised home, with Patil and Yashpal Sharma -- scoring a gritty 61. In the tournament, Patil amassed 216 runs, with an average of 30.85.

Photo: The Hindu Archives

Krishnamachari Srikkanth: In eight outings, the Indian opener scored 156, with an average of 19.50. Even though it wasn’t a fire-cracker of a tournament for the batting ace, he contributed 38 runs in the final against West Indies, which eventually helped India win the title.

Photo: The Hindu Archives

Madan Lal: It turned out to be an exciting tournament for Madan Lal, who scalped 17 wickets in eight matches, and also contributed significantly with the bat -- 102 runs in six innings. In the final, he scalped three wickets against the West Indies.

Dilip Vengsarkar: The Mumbai stalwart, in the second match of the 1983 World Cup, battled against the West Indies pace pack of Andy Roberts, Holding, Malcolm Marshall and Winston Davis, to make 32 before Marshall’s short ball took him out of the scene. Vengsarkar, though declared fit for the final, was left out of the playing XI restricting his total number of appearances in the tournament to two.

Syed Kirmani: One of the most prolific wicketkeepers of India, Kirmani had the second highest number of dismissals (14) in the tournament. In eight innings, Kirmani snaffled 12 catches and effected two stumpings. His highest score with the bat, an unbeaten 24, came against Zimbabwe at the Tunbridge Wells where Kapil Dev blasted an unbeaten 175 off just 138 deliveries.

Ravi Shastri: Shastri took 3 for 26 in India’s first big win against the West Indies at Old Trafford in the 1983 World Cup. He played in five matches at the World Cup, but did not figure in the final.

Balwinder Sandhu: Sandhu emerged as one of the heroes of the World Cup triumph in 1983. The right-arm medium-pace bowler picked eight wickets in as many matches at an economy rate of 3.57; his delivery to get rid of Gordon Greenidge in the final at Lord's is talked about even today.

Kirti Azad: An attacking batsman and a steady off-spinner, Azad picked his lone wicket in the semifinal against England when a low-trajectory ball cleaned up Ian Botham. Azad, however, scored a duck in the final at Lord’s three days later, pulling Andy Roberts straight to Joel Garner at square-leg.

Sunil Valson: Valson was the only squad member to not play a game in India's historic World Cup triumph in 1983. The closest Valson came to playing a match was in the second league game against the West Indies, when there were doubts if Roger (Binny) would be available. Binny eventually played and picked three wickets.

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Kapil Dev: Leading from the front, the Indian skipper had memorable outing in the tournament. In eight appearances, he scalped 12 wickets, including a five-for against Australia in a group match. He had a fairy-tale campaign with the willow as well, as he amassed 303 runs -- the highest for his team -- with an average of 60.60. However, the highlight was his unbeaten 175 against Zimbabwe. In a must-win game, India was reeling at 9-4 and then entered Kapil, who not only rescued the team, but also paved the way for India’s victory.
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