On This Day: Kapil Dev-led India win maiden World Cup title in 1983 – Firstcricket News, Firstpost

One of the most euphoric moments for Indian cricket arrived 39 years ago at Lord’s as India, under the leadership of Kapil Dev, won the World Cup (then, the Prudential Cup) for the first time.

From clinching the World Cup trophy as an underdog to becoming one of the dominant sides of the game, the Indian squad has come across a lot of hurdles. Like the final maximum from Mahendra Singh Dhoni in the 2011 ICC World Cup, image of the champagne bottle being opened on the Lord’s balcony has occupied a significant place in the hearts of Indian fans.

While there were very few who believed in India’s capabilities, skipper Kapil Dev was determined to make all the right noises in the third edition of the tournament.

After coming through a dramatic campaign, India headed to the final day to lock horns with West Indies – the top contenders and two-time defending champions.

Batting first, India suffered an early blow as Andy Roberts got the experienced Sunil Gavaskar for just 2 runs. Then Kris Srikkanth kickstarted the innings with a 57-ball 38 and stitched an important 57-run partnership with Mohinder Amarnath. Giving no time to settle, the Caribbean pacers took the momentum and no Indian batter managed to convert their knocks to a big one.

The middle-order collapsed as Yashpal Sharma,  Sandeep Patil, and Kapil Dev returned to the dugout after adding 11, 27, and 15 runs respectively to the score sheet.

While India was struggling to breach the 150-run mark, the collective efforts of Madan Lal, Syed Kirmani and Balwinder Sandhu at the tail-end took the side to 183 runs.

Though the target was not big to defend against the mighty West Indies, Kapil Dev-led men were ready to give a strong challenge.

Sandhu started on a positive note after dismissing opener Gordon Greenidge early. But Viv Richards smashed a quickfire 33 off 28 deliveries including seven boundaries taking away India’s hope.

The combination of Madan Lal and Kapil Dev finally managed to put an end to the blistering scoring and later the moment turned out to be a game-changer.

After the dismissal of Richards, bowlers like Amarnath, Madan Lal, Sandhu, Roger Binny and the skipper himself gave their sweat and blood to bundle out West Indies for 140.

Amarnath trapping Michael Holding is registered in cricket’s history books. Stunning the entire world, India lifted their maiden World Cup title and the world recognised the foundation of a new era of Indian cricket.

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