street cricketer
Test Debutant
- Joined
- Oct 14, 2015
- Runs
- 15,677
- Post of the Week
- 7
Exactly 33 years ago on this day, the greatest of underdog stories unfurled in cricket. Kapil Dev lifted India's first ever world cup from the Lord's balcony, defeating the mighty Clive Lloyd's West Indies in the final of the 1983 world cup.
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June 25, 1983, saw a nation in frenzy. The unthinkable had happened! Yes, India, the underdogs of ODI cricket, had overcome the champions West Indies to win the World Cup.
The reason I say unthinkable is because not even the most passionate Indian fan could have predicted that they would win the tournament. The Windies were champions in 1975 and 1979, while India had been knocked in the first round on both occasions.
Defending a mere 183 at Lord's, India won by 43 runs for their first crown and denied Clive Loyd's men a hat-trick.
India were put into bat and lost Sunil Gavaskar in the first over. It took Krishnamachari Srikkanth (38), Mohinder Amarnath (26) and Sandeep Patil (27) to push the runs. From 90/2 they slipped to 130/7 before the tail wagged to make it 183.
184 was never going to be a daunting target and Viv Richards was in a hurry to get it over with. But on 33, a mistimed pull was beautifully caught by Kapil Dev, and till date it is rated as one of the best. 50 for 1 slipped to 76/6 and suddenly history looked to be in the making.
Like the Indians, the Windies lower order came to the party but with the score on 140, Amarnath trapped holding lbw and it was all over! The scenes that followed were unbelievable as the crowd surged onto the field, and players hugged each other.
On the Lord's balcony, it was jubilation while in India, the people celebrated their greatest cricket moment with gusto. The look of shock on the losers' faces said it all - the West Indies domination was nearing its end (they have never made it to the final since).
http://m.indiatimes.com/play/33-yea...conquering-the-mighty-west-indies-257225.html
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June 25, 1983, saw a nation in frenzy. The unthinkable had happened! Yes, India, the underdogs of ODI cricket, had overcome the champions West Indies to win the World Cup.
The reason I say unthinkable is because not even the most passionate Indian fan could have predicted that they would win the tournament. The Windies were champions in 1975 and 1979, while India had been knocked in the first round on both occasions.
Defending a mere 183 at Lord's, India won by 43 runs for their first crown and denied Clive Loyd's men a hat-trick.
India were put into bat and lost Sunil Gavaskar in the first over. It took Krishnamachari Srikkanth (38), Mohinder Amarnath (26) and Sandeep Patil (27) to push the runs. From 90/2 they slipped to 130/7 before the tail wagged to make it 183.
184 was never going to be a daunting target and Viv Richards was in a hurry to get it over with. But on 33, a mistimed pull was beautifully caught by Kapil Dev, and till date it is rated as one of the best. 50 for 1 slipped to 76/6 and suddenly history looked to be in the making.
Like the Indians, the Windies lower order came to the party but with the score on 140, Amarnath trapped holding lbw and it was all over! The scenes that followed were unbelievable as the crowd surged onto the field, and players hugged each other.
On the Lord's balcony, it was jubilation while in India, the people celebrated their greatest cricket moment with gusto. The look of shock on the losers' faces said it all - the West Indies domination was nearing its end (they have never made it to the final since).
http://m.indiatimes.com/play/33-yea...conquering-the-mighty-west-indies-257225.html
