1983 World Cup: Winning on foreign soil is still considered a big feat among international cricket teams. Earlier in 1983, when the third edition of the International cricket world cup was being played, no one thought India could pull this feat against the mighty and two times champion West Indies. There is a reason why winning the 1983 world cup is talked about as one of the most moving moments in Cricket, especially in India, and that’s because the Indian cricket team(underdogs) beat the West Indies to win the title.
The West Indies were rampant at that time. With the batting lineup like Desmond Haynes, Sir Vivian Richards, Clive Lloyd, and Gordon Greenidge, everyone’s money was on the champions. After their ruthless bowling lineup, including Michael Holding, Malcolm Marshall, Joel Garner and Andy Roberts, went through India’s batting lineup in the final, It started looking like a walk in the park for the mighty West Indians. They were given a target of a mere 183 in 60 overs. In fact, the West Indian supporters began celebrating the third consecutive World Cup trophy after the first innings. But the Indian Cricket team and their captain Kapil Dev had some other plans. As a result, in the end, became a source of inspiration to an entire nation that moved on to deliver some of the greatest cricketers of all time.
Today we are assessing the aspects of how the Indian team conquered the world in 1983. Without further ado, let us think about some major points that became the pioneer of India’s success in the 1983 World cup.
Kapil Dev’s Heroic Innings in the 1983 World Cup
Winning the cricket world cup for India was not a fluke. Not many of us indeed believed that India would go on to win the World Cup on foreign land, but the Indian Cricket team showed resilience throughout the tournament. After winning the opening match, India faced two defeats in their next three matches and was on the verge of exiting the tournament.
Playing their next match in a do or die scenario. India went on winning against Zimbabwe and somehow was able to keep them in contention for the title. This win was not at all an easy feat for the Indian Cricket team. Batting first, they found themselves in a difficult situation after the top batting lineup left the pitch early as India left with a scorecard of 17-5.
Rawson and Curran went against every Indian batter and made them look like a bunch of kids playing against the old. But the Indian captain showed his character in the most important match for Indians at the World cup. Kapil Dev played and played and went on making 175 runs off 138 balls as his innings included 16 fours and 6 sixes. Syed Kirmani and Roger Binny also played their part in building up this heroic inning.
Indian won the game by 31 runs, but it turns out Dev’s performance boosted the morale of the other members as they went on winning their next three matches, beating Australia in the group stage and lifting the world cup against all the odds.
India’s Winning Mentality in the 1983 World Cup
The odds were never against the Indian cricket team, but the players were very optimistic during the world cup. Many labeled Indians as the underdogs but truth to be told, India was considering themselves playing the world cup and also winning it by the end.
Kapil Dev explained in an interview that they were moving ahead with a positive mindset. They reached the finals by beating the best cricketing teams in the tournament, including Australia and England, the finalists of the previous two editions.
He also added, “During the initial days, it was tough to think that we would play in the final, but halfway through the tournament, we believed that we could go till the later stages of the World Cup. As we kept on playing and winning the matches, we realized that we have a good enough team.” Well, that justifies the point that keeping a positive mindset is the key in tough situations, and that’s what the Indian Cricket team did on foreign soil.
We Are Indians
The recently concluded India vs. Australia series shows the power of the Indian cricket team on foreign soil as well. Former Australian captain and current Australian coach Justin Langer articulated,” Never ever underestimate the Indians.” We proved the same several times and showed world cricket why we are one of the best Cricket playing nations in the world, regardless of the format. Our current and past records speak for the same. Not just men’s but our women’s cricket team is also showing the impact of their presence in cricket world.
Endnotes
We all feel unique, more joyful, and auspicious when something unexpected happens in our favour. And that was the same feeling in the minds and hearts of every Indian the day we won our first world cup.
The sole reason why Indian Cricket is dominant in today’s sporting world is because of Kapil Dev and his team members. Kapil Dev lifting the World Cup trophy from Lord’s balcony sparked the fire in us as we went on winning the inaugural T20 world cup, 2011 World cup, 2013 Champions Trophy, and it all wouldn’t be possible if team India hadn’t defied all odds and won the 1983 World cup.
Team India looks refreshed and ready for its next challenge at the moment. The new era has started under new head coach Rahul Dravid, as India started their campaign winning the T20 series against New Zealand. With a pool of talented players all around, team India is the superpower of the Cricketing world. The sport, which is treated as a religion in India, surely has a lot to deliver in the upcoming years. The fans are looking for the next ICC trophy from the Indian Cricket team after the 2013 Champions trophy, and we hope team India will deliver that under our new coach Rahul Dravid and the management.