Exactly 39 years ago an Indian captain lifted the World Cup trophy at the Lord’s balcony and told the world about the arrival of India. The red ball cricket World Cup of 83 turned about to be a blessing for Indians as it gave us the hope of not just dreaming big but also gave the courage to fulfil those dreams.
The first World Cup winning captain of India, Kapil Dev led India to England where the 1983 World Cup was being held. With three new players and six seniors, Kapil Dev, the new captain was always certain to make it big and the man made sure to do so despite several shortcomings.
The 1983 campaign started with India loosing all the practice matches and somehow hoping to bounce back in the first match against two times world campions West Indies. IND vs WI was being played on 9th June 1983 at Old Trafford, Manchester when the match was postponed due to rain but even bad weather could not stop India by scripting history.
While Yashpal Sharma scored a brilliant 89(120), Ravi Shastri and Roger Binny took 3 wickets each and defeated the defending champions with some master class performances.
However, India did not had it that easy, even after winning the second match against Zimbabwe the men in blue faced two consecutive defeats against Australia and West Indies in the third and fourth match. But Kapil Dev and his team knew how to make a comeback, which they did with a bang.
The fifth match which was also a do or die for India, was played against Zimbabwe and not many people even turned up to the stadium as India did not have much chances in their eyes but an Indian captain filled with determination and brilliance led his team from the front.
Kapil Dev entered the ground when India was four down for just 9 runs. But the Indian skipper did not only played a magical inning but also made the world record of 175*(138). What a shame it was for the world that the match was never recorded on camera as BBC reporters were on a strike that day.
Later the semi-final was cleared by the collective effort of the Indian team against England and the last match was once again against the defending champions, West Indies. And the game was no less than a roller coaster for India.
Where the country was facing several religious riots, a group of Indian men were not only fighting fast bowlers but also were douching complexes, judgements and bad behaviour on foreign land.
While India was all out for 183 in 60 overs, it was a tough job to restrict a giant team like West Indies which had players like Vivian Richards. But a determined team India did not only stop the opponents at 140 but also told the world that we are no less than others.
Till date the moment of Kapil Dev being handed over the World Cup trophy at the Lord’s Balcony is an image to savor for all the Indian fans. This win did not only mark India’s position on the international stage but it also inspired many Indian like Sachin Tendulkar to pick up a career in cricket.