Cricket in India before the iconic 1983 World Cup win saw a completely different phase. While it was being played and followed vastly by Indians but it wasn’t enjoyed as much as in modern-day. So what happened after the 1983 World Cup that made cricket such an appealing sport in India?
Cricket in India Before the 1983 World Cup win
The craze of cricket in India is unmatched. It is the only sport that brings people of India from diverse backgrounds together. From north to south, east to west, cricket is played and loved by all.
Notably, cricket was introduced in India by the British Colonizers during the 18th century. The first official Indian Test match was played in 1932 at Lord’s against England. However, the Indian cricket team struggled in international cricket, only winning sporadically in the decades after their debut.
Safe to say, it took Indian cricket 50 years from its inception to win its first World Cup.
Moreover, the prestigious domestic tournament Ranji Trophy, inaugurated in 1934, became the backbone of Indian cricket. These competitions nurtured many future cricket stars.
Further, legendary players like Vinoo Mankad, Vijay Hazare, Polly Umrigar, and Nawab of Pataudi, the names by which Indian domestic cricket is played, kept India competitive on the international stage. Soon, India’s first Test series victory came against England in 1952 leaving a remarkable mark on the Indian Cricket history.
Road to The 1983 World Cup Cricket Final
Victory in the iconic 1983 World Cup Cricket final changed the course of cricket fandom in India. But this didn’t happen overnight. From entering a tournament with the ‘underdog’ tag to becoming the World champion wasn’t certainly an easy task for our stalwarts. Let’s take a look how the road to the 1983 World Cup Cricket final looked.
India played its first One Day International (ODI) in 1974 against England at Headingley. Nonetheless, due to the lack of knowledge and required skills, the Indian team struggled in limited-overs formats and was considered an underdog in major tournaments.
On top of that, cricket was followed primarily by elite sections of society, with hockey being India’s dominant sport. Media coverage was also very limited compared to today, and live broadcasts were rare.
1983 World Cup Indian Captain
However, the 1983 World Cup victory, led by Kapil Dev, changed everything. As it ignited a cricketing revolution making household names of the players. Consequently, transformed cricket into a religion in India.
Against all odds, the Indian cricket team stunned the cricketing world by winning their first-ever World Cup. Before the tournament, India was considered the underdogs, with minimal expectations from fans and experts alike.
IND vs WI, World Cup 1983: Highlights
India’s journey to the final saw key performances, including Kapil Dev’s iconic 175 not out against Zimbabwe, a match-saving knock still remembered as one of the greatest ODI innings. In the final at Lord’s on June 25, 1983, India faced the mighty West Indies, who were two-time defending champions and heavily favored to win.
Defending a modest total of 183, India’s bowlers rose to the occasion. Notably, Mohinder Amarnath and Madan Lal delivered crucial breakthroughs, dismissing West Indies for a paltry of 140 runs, and securing a historic 43-run victory. Kapil Dev’s remarkable running catch to dismiss Viv Richards remains one of the defining moments of the match.
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This is what the 1983 World Cup final scorecard looked like:
Match: India vs West Indies
Date: 25 June 1983
Venue: Lord’s Cricket Ground, London
India Innings (183 all out in 54.4 overs)
Batting |
| R | B | M | 4s | 6s | SR |
c †Dujon b Roberts | 2 | 12 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 16.66 | |
Kris Srikkanth | lbw b Marshall | 38 | 57 | 82 | 7 | 1 | 66.66 |
Mohinder Amarnath | b Holding | 26 | 80 | 108 | 3 | 0 | 32.50 |
Yashpal Sharma | c sub (AL Logie) b Gomes | 11 | 32 | 45 | 1 | 0 | 34.37 |
Sandeep Patil | c Gomes b Garner | 27 | 29 | 48 | 0 | 1 | 93.10 |
Kapil Dev (c) | c Holding b Gomes | 15 | 8 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 187.50 |
Kirti Azad | c Garner b Roberts | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
Roger Binny | c Garner b Roberts | 2 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 25.00 |
Madan Lal | b Marshall | 17 | 27 | 31 | 0 | 1 | 62.96 |
Syed Kirmani † | b Holding | 14 | 43 | 55 | 0 | 0 | 32.55 |
Balwinder Sandhu | not out | 11 | 30 | 42 | 1 | 0 | 36.66 |
Extras | (b 5, lb 5, nb 1, w 9) | 20 |
Bowling
Bowler Name | O | M | R | W | Eco |
Andy Roberts | 10 | 3 | 32 | 3 | 3.20 |
Joel Garner | 12 | 4 | 24 | 1 | 2.00 |
Malcolm Marshall | 11 | 1 | 24 | 2 | 2.18 |
Michael Holding | 9.4 | 2 | 26 | 2 | 2.68 |
Larry Gomes | 11 | 1 | 49 | 2 | 4.45 |
Viv Richards | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 8.00 |
West Indies Innings (140 all out in 52 overs)
Batting | R | B | D | 4s | 6s | SR | |
Gordon Greenidge | b Sandhu | 1 | 12 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 8.33 |
Desmond Haynes | c Binny b Madan Lal | 13 | 33 | 45 | 2 | 0 | 39.39 |
Viv Richards | c Kapil Dev b Madan Lal | 33 | 28 | 42 | 7 | 0 | 117.85 |
Clive Lloyd (c) | c Kapil Dev b Binny | 8 | 17 | 32 | 1 | 0 | 47.05 |
Larry Gomes | c Gavaskar b Madan Lal | 5 | 16 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 31.25 |
Faoud Bacchus | c †Kirmani b Sandhu | 8 | 25 | 37 | 0 | 0 | 32.00 |
Jeff Dujon † | b Amarnath | 25 | 73 | 94 | 0 | 1 | 34.24 |
Malcolm Marshall | c Gavaskar b Amarnath | 18 | 51 | 73 | 0 | 0 | 35.29 |
Andy Roberts | lbw b Kapil Dev | 4 | 14 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 28.57 |
Joel Garner | not out | 5 | 19 | 34 | 0 | 0 | 26.31 |
Michael Holding | lbw b Amarnath | 6 | 24 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 25.00 |
Extras | (lb 4, w 10) | 14 |
Conclusion
Notably, Mohinder Amarnath had delivered a brilliant all-round performance that played a pivotal role in India’s historic victory against the West Indies in the 1983 World Cup Cricket Final. He scored a valuable 26 runs with the bat and later showcased his bowling prowess by taking 3 wickets for 12 runs in 7 overs. His disciplined medium-pace bowling, along with his calm demeanor, proved instrumental in dismissing the formidable West Indies batting lineup for just 140 runs, securing India’s first-ever World Cup title.
For his all-around prowess, Amarnath won the 1983 World Cup Man of the Match, garnering him a worldwide recognition.
This historical match remains one of India’s greatest sporting achievements. This victory not only brought global recognition to Indian cricket but also ignited a passion for the game across the nation. The triumph laid the foundation for India’s cricketing dominance and remains one of the country’s most cherished sporting achievements. Thanks to this iconic victory cricket is what it is currently in India.