After winning the 1975 and 1979 ODI World Cups, the West Indies entered the next edition in 1983 as the most dominant team. The 1983 ODI World Cup was the third edition of cricket’s biggest tournament, which took place in England and Wales. Just like the previous two editions, a total of eight teams competed in this competition. In all, 24 games were played in this tournament, including the finals.
Australia, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, West Indies, Sri Lanka, and Zimbabwe were those eight competitors. These teams were divided into two groups of four each. However, England, India, Pakistan, and the West Indies qualified for the semi-finals of the competition. The tournament was held between June 9 and June 25, 1983.
India journey in 1983 ODI World Cup
India won only one game in the 1975 ODI World Cup, while they couldn’t register a single victory in the 1979 editions. Thus, not many gave India a chance to even qualify for the top four. But what happened in the tournament became history, and India stopped the West Indies from making the hat-trick and became only the second team to win the ODI World Cup. That win gave dreams to billions of people in India, and India became the next big thing in this game.
Team India was placed in Group B along with the West Indies, Australia, and Zimbabwe. India surprised everyone with a 34-run win over the defending champions in the very first game in Manchester. Then, India defeated Zimbabwe in their second game by five wickets. However, in their third game, Australia beat them by a massive 162 runs. Australia made 320/9 and dismissed India for just 158 runs in 37.5 overs.
That massive loss shook India completely, and they faced their second defeat in their next game against West India at Kennington Oval. Batting first, West Indies made 282/9 with a help of Viv Richards (119). India went all out for 216 runs, losing the game by 66 runs. With two wins and two defeats in the four games, it looked difficult for India to make it to the semi-final. They needed to win their next two remaining games against Zimbabwe and Australia.
Tough Way for Semi-final and then Final
But in their very next game against Zimbabwe, they had a horrible start. Batting first, India lost their five wickets for just 17 runs. Then they were reduced to 78/7. But then came an incredible inning from skipper Kapil Dev, which certainly was the reason for India’s moving ahead in the tournament. He scored a blistering 175 not out off 138 runs, with 16 fours and six maximums, to guide India to 266. Then, India dismissed Zimbabwe for 235 runs to pull off an unexpected win by 31 runs.
That win just uplifted India’s spirit, and they just crushed Australia in their last group match by 118 runs to qualify for the semis. Team India faced England in the semi-final, and Mohinder Amarnath led them to a 6-wicket victory with his all-round performance (2/27 and 46 runs). Then came the time when India faced the defending champions in the final on June 25 at Lord’s.
Despite India making the final, everyone believed that the West Indies would crush India easily. And to some extent, it became true when India got dismissed for just 183 runs in their first inning. And a target of just 184 runs in 60 overs was a cakewalk for the Caribbean team. But the Indian bowlers didn’t let it happen, and bowled their heart out to script the golden history.
The wicket of Viv Richards (33 off 28) was the turning point in the chase. That was the time when Indian bowlers choked the gas out of the West Indian batting lineup. The defending champions got dismissed for 140 runs in 52 overs, and India became the new world champions. It is still the lowest total of any team defending in the World Cup final.
India Cricket Team in 1983 World Cup (Squad)
Kapil Dev (c), Mohinder Amarnath (vc), Kirti Azad, Roger Binny, Sunil Gavaskar, Syed Kirmani (wk), Madan Lal, Sandip Patil, Balwinder Sandhu, Yashpal Sharma, Ravi Shastri, Krishnamachari Srikkanth, Sunil Valson, Dilip Vengsarkar
India Roadmap to 1983 World Cup Final
| Match | Against | Venue | Date | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Group | West Indies | Manchester | Jun 09, Thu | won by 34 runs |
| Group | Zimbabwe | Leicester | Jun 11, Sat | won by 5 wkts |
| Group | Australia | Nottingham | Jun 13, Mon | lost by 162 runs |
| Group | West Indies | Kennington Oval | Jun 15, Wed | lost by 66 runs |
| Group | Zimbabwe | Nevill Ground | Jun 18, Sat | won by 31 runs |
| Group | Australia | County Ground | Jun 20, Mon | won by 118 runs |
| Semi-final | England | Manchester | Jun 22, Wed | won by 6 wkts |
| Final | West Indies | Lord’s | Jun 25, Sat | won by 43 runs |
IND Most Runs in 1983 World Cup
English batter David Gower ended the tournament as the highest run-scorer. He scored 384 runs in 7 innings at 76.80, with one century and one half-century.
| Batter | Mts | Runs | HS | Avg | 50/100 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kapil Dev | 8 | 303 | 175* | 60.60 | 0/1 |
| Yashpal Sharma | 8 | 240 | 89 | 34.28 | 2/0 |
| Mohinder Amarnath | 8 | 237 | 80 | 29.62 | 1/0 |
| Sandeep Patil | 8 | 216 | 51* | 30.85 | 2/0 |
| Kris Srikkanth | 8 | 156 | 39 | 19.50 | 0/0 |
IND Most Wickets in 1983 World Cup
India’s Roger Binny (18) and Madan Lal (17) were the top two wicket-takers in the competition.
| Bowler | Mts | Wkts | BBI | Econ | 4/5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roger Binny | 8 | 18 | 4/29 | 3.81 | 1/0 |
| Madan Lal | 8 | 17 | 4/20 | 3.43 | 1/0 |
| Kapil Dev | 8 | 12 | 5/43 | 2.91 | 0/1 |
| Mohinder Amarnath | 6 | 8 | 3/12 | 3.63 | 0/0 |
| Balwinder Sandhu | 8 | 8 | 2/26 | 3.57 | 0/0 |