India’s limited-overs cricket received a shot in the arm when the team, dubbed ‘Kapil’s Devils’, marched to a sensational World Cup triumph at Lord’s in 1983. It set off a belief among the other teams that they, too, can dream of winning cricket’s showpiece event.
Kris Srikkanth, member of the 1983 squad, looks back at the memorable World Cup campaign.
It’s been four decades since you and the Indian team lifted their maiden World Cup trophy in London...
The 40th anniversary of the 1983 World Cup is a great event that is going to happen. The victory was a historic occasion, not just for the Indian cricket team but for Indians as a whole. What the World Cup win did was make every Indian across the globe proud of their heritage.
Thoughts on Kapil Dev’s captaincy through the tournament...
The triumph was made possible because of the tremendous self-belief we had, led by our inspirational captain, Kapil Dev. He showed what it means to have self-belief and a positive approach and said,’ We can do it.’ He led by example, the classic being the unbeaten 175 against Zimbabwe. It has to be one of the greatest one-day knocks in the game’s history.
READ | 1983 Cricket World Cup Special, Prudential World Cup
What was the mindset of the players heading into that World Cup?
As I have said on previous occasions, quite a few of the players in our team were planning a holiday to the United States and thought we would play the World Cup on the way. Not even in our wildest imaginations did we expect to go and win the World Cup. It is all thanks to Kapil Dev’s mindset; ours also changed.
When it came to the performances on the field, it was complete teamwork. Every member of the squad contributed. Be it a valuable 20 runs, taking a wicket or two, or a brilliant catch, everyone did their part throughout the tournament.
The turning point of the campaign...
The turning point came in the first match when we beat West Indies. Before the game, when Kapil spoke about beating the two-time defending champion, most of us thought the captain had lost it. But the late Yashpal Sharma (89) played a brilliant knock, and Roger Binny bowled well (three for 48), and that win gave us a huge confidence boost and made us believe in ourselves.
Your memories of the final...
In the final, I could barely get the bat onto the ball for the first couple of overs. Then Mohinder Amarnath asked me to go for my shots, and I decided to cut loose. Luckily, it came off for a while, and little did I know my 38 would be the highest score in that final.
What’s the biggest impact of the ‘83 win?
The 1983 World Cup was the starting point for India to become a big team in one-day cricket, and in 1985, we won the World Championship of Cricket in Australia, which was like a mini-World Cup. So nobody could call the win a fluke. It was the starting point for India’s becoming a superpower in the cricket world.
After the ‘83 movie came out two years ago, it became a big thing, and today’s youngsters realised how big a moment it was, inspiring many people. History remembers the first great achievement, and I am happy and lucky to have been part of the team that won India’s first World Cup.
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