India's 1983 Triumph an International Sporting Miracle?

[SpiritOf1903]

India, the fledgling team still won a World Cup before Australia, 36 before England finally achieved it, having dethroned the unstoppable Windies.

The catalyst for the behemoth Indian team today, is it the greatest achievement in international sport?

Greece Euro 2004 probably surpasses it however but not had the impact this did for Indian cricket

 

[Romali_rotti]

India, the fledgling team still won a World Cup before Australia, 36 before England finally achieved it, having dethroned the unstoppable Windies.

The catalyst for the behemoth Indian team today, is it the greatest achievement in international sport?

Greece Euro 2004 probably surpasses it however but not had the impact this did for Indian cricket

What made it so great was that the Indians were captained by a 24 year old kid who was the player of the series? and was the main reason why India won the World Cup.

Kapil Dev was the first true lion from the sub continent.....

 

[RexRex]

On a more domestic level, there was Leicester FC winning the Premier League in 2016 on the odds of 5000-1.

That came out of nowhere as well.

 

[adi_62941]

So was the 1992 World Cup, the 2009 T20 World Cup, and the 2017 Champions Trophy.

The most notable World Cup was in 2007, which was won by the Aussies. They have been favorites since winning the previous World Cup in 2003

 

[SpiritOf1903]

So was the 1992 World Cup, the 2009 T20 World Cup, and the 2017 Champions Trophy.

The most notable World Cup was in 2007, which was won by the Aussies. They have been favorites since winning the previous World Cup in 2003

Huh?. Pakistan should have dominated after an even more impressive win but didn't

Pakistan wasn't even 30 years old . Sri Lanka also up there

 

[SamNJ]

So was the 1992 World Cup, the 2009 T20 World Cup, and the 2017 Champions Trophy.

The most notable World Cup was in 2007, which was won by the Aussies. They have been favorites since winning the previous World Cup in 2003

Pakistan were one of the favorites in 1992 before the tournament started. They tumbled a few important games but came back and with the kind of momentum they had they won it.

 

[adi_62941]

Pakistan were one of the favorites in 1992 before the tournament started. They tumbled a few important games but came back and with the kind of momentum they had they won it.

I am referring to the most notable/obvious World Cup victories, such as Australia's wins in 2003 and 2007. They did not lose any matches and remained the favorites from start to finish. No other team has achieved this, perhaps except for the great West Indies in the 1980s, but I have no information about that period as I was not even born then

 

[giri26]

So was the 1992 World Cup, the 2009 T20 World Cup, and the 2017 Champions Trophy.

The most notable World Cup was in 2007, which was won by the Aussies. They have been favorites since winning the previous World Cup in 2003

India's triumph indeed was a miracle and cannot be compared with Pakistan's 1992 win as the latter were one of the best teams of that era. Pakistan had already made the semis in 1979, 1983 & 1987 WC's. India prior to winning in 1983 had only one win in the previous 2 WC's and that too against East Africa. So India's win was nothing short of miracle which even the players who played did not expect. And for sure it was the catalyst for the development of the sport and the riches which BCCI is enjoying today.

 

[SpiritOf1903]

India's triumph indeed was a miracle and cannot be compared with Pakistan's 1992 win as the latter were one of the best teams of that era. Pakistan had already made the semis in 1979, 1983 & 1987 WC's. India prior to winning in 1983 had only one win in the previous 2 WC's and that too against East Africa. So India's win was nothing short of miracle which even the players who played did not expect. And for sure it was the catalyst for the development of the sport and the riches which BCCI is enjoying today.

Pakistan was so far ahead of the curve. Even 2007, had they won, a t20 competition was in the pipeline

 

[TheSultan]

The 1983 victory was an abberation. One of those freaks.

I believe the World Cup had become a bit stale being played in England twice already with Windies romping home. Windies took it easy, Pakistan hampered with Imran unable to bowl - Ijaz faqih opening the bowling and Zaheer Abbas bowling a full quota lol, Australia (beaten by Zimbabwe) were nowhere and England out of sorts.

Well done India but as I said, the whole tournament was an abberation

 

[Ilan Bluestone]

Sri Lanka winning should be up there.

The US hockey team "Miracle on Ice" is definitely one of them.

 

[Swashbuckler]

Funny part is India beat WI twice in that World Cup. And just before that once in an ODI in WI. 3 wins against that WI team in a couple of months period. For that WI even one loss was unfathomable.

 

[SM1989]

Did you watch the Ranveer Singh film and then write this? The movie certainly makes it look like that.

 

[SportsWarrior]

India, the fledgling team still won a World Cup before Australia, 36 before England finally achieved it, having dethroned the unstoppable Windies.

The catalyst for the behemoth Indian team today, is it the greatest achievement in international sport?

Greece Euro 2004 probably surpasses it however but not had the impact this did for Indian cricket

it was obviously an upset win, but India had beaten West Indies even in the league stage. They also beat England convincingly in semifinals. Australia was not a such a great team, but they were also beaten convincingly and the win against Zim gave lots of confidence to Indians. It was unexpected win but thoroughly deserved with thumping wins in both semifinals and final.

in comparison for eg, Pak who were a very good team, struggled against England and lost both the time. They also lost to NZ which was a pretty ordinary team. Their two big wins came against minnows at the time SL. They also got thumped by WI in the semis.

 

[NishanKonar]

It was actually a very good Indian team. Or more importantly a team perfectly tailored for the English conditions. They had a full army of medium pacers - Roger Binny, Madan Lal, Mohinder Amarnath, Balwinder Sandhu , who could swing the ball prodigiously in English conditions. That was their secret sauce, Bit like New Zealand in 1992 World Cup - except that NZ faltered in the semis against Pakistan due to Inzamam's heroics

 

[batandballbattle]

Back then it was a huge upset and now windies aren't even in this year's edition...

 

[BouncerGuy]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1805830324309393864

 

[Sir Alex]

What made it so great was that the Indians were captained by a 24 year old kid who was the player of the series? and was the main reason why India won the World Cup.

Kapil Dev was the first true lion from the sub continent.....

Ahem, 24 year old could be in Afridi / Rashid Khan years though. Age fudging was unregulated back then. I remember seeing a pic of Kapil at 15 and he had already grown full mush and had a goatee. He was definitely 3-4 years older than he claimed to be.

Also, the way he fell off after turning "30" speaks volumes. He also married at 20 or 21

 

[Sir Alex]

The 1983 victory was an abberation. One of those freaks.

I believe the World Cup had become a bit stale being played in England twice already with Windies romping home. Windies took it easy, Pakistan hampered with Imran unable to bowl - Ijaz faqih opening the bowling and Zaheer Abbas bowling a full quota lol, Australia (beaten by Zimbabwe) were nowhere and England out of sorts.

Well done India but as I said, the whole tournament was an abberation

True. Like CT 2017 final was as well. Or Aus winning 2023 WC final.

 

[Aang_The_last_airbender]

So was the 1992 World Cup, the 2009 T20 World Cup, and the 2017 Champions Trophy.

The most notable World Cup was in 2007, which was won by the Aussies. They have been favorites since winning the previous World Cup in 2003

Number of firsts and records during the 83 are incomparable to any modern dream run in history of Sports.
The legacy of 83 is that India became something from nothing and is now the epicenter of the game of cricket. When non-cricketing world talks about Cricket, the first thing they talk about is India.
Greece in Euro 04 or Leicester in premier league are one off events after which the teams faded away.

When a Cricket expert is literally made to eat his words, that's the incomparable miracle it was.

 

[Sir Alex]

Number of firsts and records during the 83 are incomparable to any modern dream run in history of Sports.
The legacy of 83 is that India became something from nothing and is now the epicenter of the game of cricket. When non-cricketing world talks about Cricket, the first thing they talk about is India.
Greece in Euro 04 or Leicester in premier league are one off events after which the teams faded away.

When a Cricket expert is literally made to eat his words, that's the incomparable miracle it was.

View attachment 144806

Just to add, it was not because India hadn't won anything till then of note, but that it was a young, raw and inexperienced team. Somewhat comparable to the 2007 team under MSD winning the World Cup.

India the team had topped world rankings in 1971 after series wins in WI and Eng.

 

[Romali_rotti]

Ahem, 24 year old could be in Afridi / Rashid Khan years though. Age fudging was unregulated back then. I remember seeing a pic of Kapil at 15 and he had already grown full mush and had a goatee. He was definitely 3-4 years older than he claimed to be.

Also, the way he fell off after turning "30" speaks volumes. He also married at 20 or 21

Ahem afridi at 16 years old when he debuted looked closed to 23 the images are available all over the net.

I can't find Dev as a 15 year old with a full grown MO. Can you show us one ?

What's Devs stats after 30 ? Can you put up some numbers I am genuinely curious to know. I wonder if it's night and day difference like you seem to be hinting.

The main reason if he fell off was because he singled handedly bowled the most number of overs and balls whilst rest of the Indian attack was not really a bowling attack till Srinath came along.. His body would have been trashed with such a work load, that and the leg injury he suffered early in his career took its toll.

 

[Sir Alex]

Ahem afridi at 16 years old when he debuted looked closed to 23 the images are available all over the net.

I can't find Dev as a 15 year old with a full grown MO. Can you show us one ?

What's Devs stats after 30 ? Can you put up some numbers I am genuinely curious to know. I wonder if it's night and day difference like you seem to be hinting.

The main reason if he fell off was because he singled handedly bowled the most number of overs and balls whilst rest of the Indian attack was not really a bowling attack till Srinath came along.. His body would have been trashed with such a work load, that and the leg injury he suffered early in his career took its toll.

Here you go. A goatee at 15 is lol. You don't achieve the mush beard connection at that age!

He was definitely understanding his age by a good 4-5 years.

Now as to the falling after turning 30 theory, check his stats after 1986 - officially he was just 27 but de facto he was well past 30 and it started showing. From 1986 till his retirement, he played 58 tests and took only 154 wickets. That is just 2.6 wickets per test match (For comparison, Bumrah has taken 4.4 wickets per test match and he is competing with some awesome bowlers in the team itself for those). From his debut in 1978 till end of 1985, Kapil averaged 4 wickets per test match as well.

Actually, it got more and more painful to see him carried in the side as he neared the end of his career. It was just about getting past Hadlee at that stage.

 

[GillEdits]

And still some people have the audacity to call him a fixer

What made it so great was that the Indians were captained by a 24 year old kid who was the player of the series? and was the main reason why India won the World Cup.

Kapil Dev was the first true lion from the sub continent.....

 

[NishanKonar]

Ahem afridi at 16 years old when he debuted looked closed to 23 the images are available all over the net.

I can't find Dev as a 15 year old with a full grown MO. Can you show us one ?

What's Devs stats after 30 ? Can you put up some numbers I am genuinely curious to know. I wonder if it's night and day difference like you seem to be hinting.

The main reason if he fell off was because he singled handedly bowled the most number of overs and balls whilst rest of the Indian attack was not really a bowling attack till Srinath came along.. His body would have been trashed with such a work load, that and the leg injury he suffered early in his career took its toll.

Kapil Dev was definitely 3-4 years older than his official age. No way he was 24 in 1983. Just look at his wedding pix from 1980. That's not the face of a 21 year old

 

[Major]

another attempt by an indian poster to make themselves look big and than give each other highfives while no one else bothers to recognize them.

 

[TheSultan]

True. Like CT 2017 final was as well. Or Aus winning 2023 WC final.

Aus 2023? Yea it’s really out of the realms of possibilities for the 4 time champions and recent t20 champions to win the World Cup!

 

[sweep_shot]

True. Like CT 2017 final was as well. Or Aus winning 2023 WC final.

2023? How?

Aussies can win anywhere. They are the 8-time World Champions.

 

[Romali_rotti]

View attachment 144813

Here you go. A goatee at 15 is lol. You don't achieve the mush beard connection at that age!

He was definitely understanding his age by a good 4-5 years.

Now as to the falling after turning 30 theory, check his stats after 1986 - officially he was just 27 but de facto he was well past 30 and it started showing. From 1986 till his retirement, he played 58 tests and took only 154 wickets. That is just 2.6 wickets per test match (For comparison, Bumrah has taken 4.4 wickets per test match and he is competing with some awesome bowlers in the team itself for those). From his debut in 1978 till end of 1985, Kapil averaged 4 wickets per test match as well.

Actually, it got more and more painful to see him carried in the side as he neared the end of his career. It was just about getting past Hadlee at that stage.

Ok . No way he looks 15 on that pic you showed. Agreed Dev would have been 3-4 years older than what he was.

 

[Sir Alex]

2023? How?

Aussies can win anywhere. They are the 8-time World Champions.

They were sheer lucky with that win over Afg easiest of drops by Mujeeb. A 200 run win was easily on the cards and RR wise Aus would have got sunk.

Not to mention Afg carried those scars to the next match. Anyway good on them, they played like absolute vhampions and won after that match although they didn't look anywhere near that part till that moment when Mujeeb dropped Maxwell.

 

[Sir Alex]

Aus 2023? Yea it’s really out of the realms of possibilities for the 4 time champions and recent t20 champions to win the World Cup!

They looked well down and out when Mujeebb dropped Maxwell and then things changed upside down.

 

[Mamoon]

Back when India had proper cricketers with heart and courage.

Now they are left with tattooed vegans wearing whoop fitness bands only to get whooped themselves under pressure.

 

[Statpadder Inc]

Back when India had proper cricketers with heart and courage.

Now they are left with tattooed vegans wearing whoop fitness bands only to get whooped themselves under pressure.

I have to agree with this, Kapil Dev had more heart and courage than all our players combined today

 

[TheSultan]

They were sheer lucky with that win over Afg easiest of drops by Mujeeb. A 200 run win was easily on the cards and RR wise Aus would have got sunk.

Not to mention Afg carried those scars to the next match. Anyway good on them, they played like absolute vhampions and won after that match although they didn't look anywhere near that part till that moment when Mujeeb dropped Maxwell.

Zzzzzzz - and Pakistan dropping Tendulkar 5 times in 2011 doesn’t count, or you’re ok calling 2011 a fluke too.

We can go round in circles

 

[jeetu]

I won't call it a fluke because little before WC India managed to beat WI in WI in ODI. Also beat WI again in WC in early stages. Before WC final , WI-Ind ODI head to head record was 3-2 in WI favour. Also pitches in England in combination with weather conditions made Indian 120K bowlers ( Binny , MadanLal and even slower Amarnath) very effective. Amarnath was getting bounce on those pitches and his bowling pace as just above Kumble's faster one. Another thing that worked in India's favour was very long tail pretty much everyone could bat.

Similar Indian bowling lineup beat England in England few year later. In second test England managed to score just 102 and 128 , losing test by 279 runs.

Still any team beating WI in those days was considered upset. They were running through sides.

 

[Hikaru]

If one moment changed Cricket in last 50 years, that would be Kapil Dev holding the World Cup trophy at Lords. They snatched the world cup from invincibles, it was no fluke, it was 11 individuals giving it everything they had for glory. Perhaps the greatest underdog story sports has ever seen.

 

[Bhaijaan]

I rewatched the 83 movie last night and boy o boy, as a grown up man, i was still struggling to hold my tears during some scenes. I wasn’t born when 1983 World Cup happened and still the emotions i have attached to that World Cup are immense.

The 83 squad weren’t the super rich boys of cricket. The country and the board itself was neither financially strong or politically powerful. Those guys did not enjoy the best of hotels, travel, training facilities and allowances which the stars of today enjoy. No PR. No one even cared about our squad and expected it to reach semi finals. Man to Man we were nothing in front of the West Indies who were legends from top to bottom. Our team just played with 100% heart of a champion.

3: 19 minutes onwards in the video above, no true cricket lover wouldn’t feel emotional seeing those moments. All the boys up on the podium there probably still felt awkward about winning. All the officials turned up that day at Lord’s thinking they would hand over the trophy to Clive Lloyd for the 3rd time in a row. Nobody in their minds would have thought in the morning that they would be handing the trophy to Kapil Dev and his teammates whose names even they wouldn’t be knowing apart from a few.

All these years later, with the full might of the economy and BCCI’s financial muscle behind the team, and still we all know how tough it is to win a trophy. You can have all the advantages in the world but eventually it takes a heart of a champion to be one.

1983 paved way for everything. No matter how many trophies we ever win, nothing will ever be bigger than 1983. It’s our most coveted trophy. The very image of that trophy lives in my heart and mind. It’s the most beautiful thing to me in cricket. Every other trophy just looks less impressive.

Salute to all the legends of 1983. The OGs of Bharatiya cricket.

 

[Bhaijaan]

All these years later and the 1983 teammates still show exemplary respect and friendliness towards each other. Very rarely do i ever see them talking rubbish for other teammates. So many times they all reunite for functions and give a feeling of they weren’t old they’d still lace up to play cricket for the country one more time.

 

[raj_milan]

In 1983, India was not viewed as a cricketing challenger but just a team to make up numbers, while the West Indies, led by legends like Viv Richards and Clive Lloyd, were the dominant force in the sport. The Indian team was largely dismissed by the media, fans, and officials, with many expecting an easy win for the West Indies in the final.
The Indian team was largely written off by the media, bookmakers, officials, and fans alike, with many believing the West Indies would easily win the final.

However, India's victory may have been unexpected triumph for the world.
But players in team India believed they were capable of, winning the cup. and they proved themselves right to the world
This historic win became a symbol of perseverance, defying the odds, and continues to inspire generations of Indian cricket fans and players.

 

[Local.Dada]

1983 wc was one underdog story with no luck or flukes.

We beat the GOAT team of that time WI twice.

Beat Aus, England the biggest teams of that time.

Won the games fair and square with no rain, Run rate and other non sense

Has to be the greatest underdog triumph in cricket.

 

[Aang_The_last_airbender]

1983 wc was one underdog story with no luck or flukes.

We beat the GOAT team of that time WI twice.

Beat Aus, England the biggest teams of that time.

Won the games fair and square with no rain, Run rate and other non sense

Has to be the greatest underdog triumph in cricket.

But did we beat Pakistan?
There will always be the asterisk

 

[Local.Dada]

But did we beat Pakistan?
There will always be the asterisk

More than made up for it since

 

[Fanboy375]

Funny how Ind won despite after that World Cup until 1985 they had the worst test playing team performance in ODI except newbie SL



And after 1983 world cup to before mid of 1987 we see they are 5th best team in odi

 

[sweep_shot]

In hindsight, 1983 was a catastrophe for global cricket. It paved the way for BCCI taking over cricket.

If 1983 didn't happen, ICC could've remained ICC instead of becoming BCCICC.

 

[Hitman]

India defeated the West Indies twice in that World Cup. Neither were they helped by rain.

 

[Hitman]

India defeated the West Indies twice in that World Cup. Neither were they helped by rain.

But it's definitely a shame that India has won the ODI World Cup just twice till date.

 

[BouncerGuy]

But it's definitely a shame that India has won the ODI World Cup just twice till date.

Yeah, definitely a shame... They should have won at least 4. But yeah, cannot complain much. they did better job than Pakistan and TBH, I cannot say much about 1983 as I was not born then.

 

[Hitman]

Yeah, definitely a shame... They should have won at least 4. But yeah, cannot complain much. they did better job than Pakistan and TBH, I cannot say much about 1983 as I was not born then.

13 ODI WC's so far and India has won just 2 of them. Look at Australia, they have won 6.

 

[BouncerGuy]

13 ODI WC's so far and India has won just 2 of them. Look at Australia, they have won 6.

Australia is a beast when it comes to winning tournaments... But india botched it many time tbh... They should have done better job.

 

[Bhaijaan]

The greatest heist in International team sports history.

 

[Hitman]

In hindsight, 1983 was a catastrophe for global cricket. It paved the way for BCCI taking over cricket.

If 1983 didn't happen, ICC could've remained ICC instead of becoming BCCICC.

Gives me so much pleasure as an Indian fan.

 

[giri26]

You should only watch what Kris Srikkanth said in the 1983 movie launch. Even though funny, it was true. The team had no belief except for Kapil who the team thought was mad. Srikkanth said that majority of the team had actually planned to go to the US from UK and that was the only driving factor. We need to remember that in 1983 the players weren't paid a lot and it was not the professional cricket it is now in India. Almost all Indian cricketers held positions in public sectors or some private firms apart from cricket. They just took this opportunity to tour UK & US. Only after winning the first game against WI they got belief that they can do something.

Considering all that the win was a miracle of epic proportions. Imagine a team which had only won one game and that too against a team like East Africa in two previous editions and a premier batter who batted 60 overs in one of the games to score 36 winning a tournament. It was a shock. The next one for sure SL winning in 1996 as Pakistan & India were the favourites to win that one. Even though SL had started to make the world cricket notice a year before that with their white ball performance in Australia, it was a genuine shock. Apart from these two WC wins the other WC wins have been expected and presented no surprise.

Also Pakistan in 1992 was a surprise win only because the team under performed so badly at the start of the tournament and could have been knocked out if the game against England wasn't rained off. In 1992 Australia were struggling, India was never a threat, NZ was a surprise, WI were inconsistent so it was basically only England & Pakistan who were favourites. The only reason Australia were considered a threat was because they were playing at home. Despite being the defending champs, Australia weren't in the greatest of forms to win that tournament.

So in 13 editions, only 3 wins have come close to surprise or shock

1. India win in 1983
2. SL win in 1996
3. Australia win in 1987 ( A big shock as no one expected anyone else to win other than India or Pakistan. Australia were a struggling team and the win was a huge shock, considering both India and Pakistan were table toppers of their respective groups)