New Delhi: It’s been 40 years since India won its 1st ODI Cricket World Cup under the captaincy of Kapil Dev. On 25th June 1983. India created history by making the cricket giants West Indies lose in final.Here are some glimpses of the moment.
India was selected to bat first against a West Indies squad that arguably had the strongest bowling attack in the world after losing the toss. Sunil Gavaskar, who had a tournament that was generally disappointing, was eliminated early for two. Before the former was bowled out by Marshall, Krishnamachari Srikkanth and Mohinder Amarnath helped India pass the 50-point threshold. Holding then dismissed Amarnath for 26, and only eleven more runs were scored before Yashpal Sharma was out.
India's captain, Kapil Dev, needed 8 balls to reach 15 before being caught off the bowling of Larry Gomes. Kirti Azad also needed 8 balls to reach 15, but was out for a duck, putting India at 111/6. Sandeep Patil made 27 in contrast to Roger Binny's two, which led India to a score of 153/8.
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Before Michael Holding dismissed Syed Kirmani for 14 by bowling all-rounder Madan Lal for 17, a partnership of 22 runs had been made between the 10th and 11th wickets.
Thus, India was dismissed for 183 in 54.4 overs, a total that many believed to be easily attainable. Malcolm Marshall, Michael Holding, Larry Gomes, and Andy Roberts each had two wickets to their credit.
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When Balwinder Sandhu memorably clean bowled Gordon Greenidge, the West Indies lost an early wicket while attempting to chase down the modest 184-run total. Desmond Haynes and Viv Richards both batted proficiently into the 50-run mark, but Madan Lal's bowling dismissed both batters, leaving the West Indies at 57/3.
The West Indies were left at 66/5 as Lal quickly took his third wicket, that of Gomes, and Dev then caught skipper Clive Lloyd. Faoud Bacchus was taken out by Sandhu ten runs later. Before Amarnath dismissed Jeff Dujon and Malcolm Marshall on 119 and 124, respectively, they put up a 43-run combination. Soon after, Michael Holding was LBW by Amarnath, and Kapil Dev had trapped Andy Roberts for an LBW.
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As a result, India won the inaugural Cricket World Cup by a margin of 43 runs after the West Indies were all out for 140. With their victory over the previously unbeatable West Indies, the Indian bowlers pulled off one of the greatest upsets in cricket history.
For India, Amarnath and Lal each had three wickets, while Sandhu had two. Amarnath received the Man of the Match award in recognition of his all-around effort. In 1983, there was no "Man of the Series" honour.
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