XtraTime Web Desk: On This Day 37 years ago, Kapil Dev led Indian cricket team took them in a new era when they thumped a formidable Windies side led by Clive Lloyd in the final of the 1983 World Cup at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground.
In the earlier two World Cups India faced an early exit from the group stages, but in 1983 Kapil’s Devils fought against all the odds to win the final.
West Indies won the toss and elected to field first. India got off to a shaky start, losing Sunil Gavaskar cheaply. India’s batting card was far from impressive with Srikkanth being the top-scorer – 38 runs.
The likes of Mohinder Amarnath, Yashpal Sharma and Sandeep Patil got the starts but couldn’t make it count with a big score. For the Windies, Andy Roberts looked at his menacingly best to finish with figures of 3-32. India were dismissed for 183 in 54.4 overs.
In the chase, West Indies lost their opening batsman Gordon Greenidge for just one run but their team’s top-scorer in the tournament, Sir Vivian Richards and Desmond Haynes tried to take control of the match. Madan Lal removed Haynes and soon Richards also fell thanks to a brilliant catch from Kapil Dev. Richards was threatening to take the match away from the Indians, scoring 33 in just 28 balls before he was dismissed.
After Richards dismissal, the wickets kept tumbling for the Windies. Jeff Dujon and Malcolm Marshall shared a 43-run partnership for the seventh wicket but it was enough for the defending champions. With Amarnath trapping Michael Holding for the final wicket, the Indian cricket team clinched a historic win. The West Indies were bowled out for 140. Amarnath ended up as the most economical bowler of the final with figures of 3-12 (1.71 economy rate), while Madan Lal too got three wickets to his name, with his figures reading 3-31.
The final turned out to be one of the greatest upsets in cricketing history.