Read in Malayalam
Read in Malayalam
West Indies captain Clive Lloyd won the toss and put India in to bat in the final match of Prudential World Cup 1983. Lloyd reckoned his pace battery could exploit the morning conditions and gain upper hand and they succeed in it. However, had the Caribbeans taken first strike they could have batted India out of the contest. It turned out to be a tactical blunder and there began India's march towards the zenith of world cricket. Here's how the drama unfolded on that eventful day at Lord's:
Andy Roberts struck a big blow when he dismissed Indian opener Sunil Gavaskar caught behind for two.
K Srikanth made a valuable contribution of 38 in the Indian total of 183. His cameo, which included seven fours and a six, laid the base for India's modest total. His 57-run stand with Mohinder Amarnath for the second wicket meant India did not lose wickets in a heap up front.
Amarnath fought it out for 108 minutes as he made 26 from 80 deliveries. India suffered a big setback when he was castled by Michael Holding with the total on 90. Sandeep Patil made a crucial 27, which included a six.
Kapil, who was in fine form throughout the tournament, disappointed as he fell for 15.
The lower order chipped in with vital runs. Madan Lal (17), Syed Kirmani (14) and Balwinder Singh Sandhu (11) combined to make 42 as the Indian innings folded up for 183 in 54.4 overs.
West Indies' hopes of a facile win suffered an early blow as Gordon Greenidge (1) fell to a splendid in-swinger by Sandhu. Soon, Desmond Haynes (13) was snapped up by Binny off Madan Lal's bowling.
Batting maestro Viv Richards seemed to be running away with the game as he raced to 33 off 28 balls. However, his attempt to pull Madan Lal resulted in Kapil taking a magnificent catch while running 15 yards backwards. This proved to be the turning point of the final and triggered a West Indian collapse as they slipped to 57/3
Suddenly, there was a spring in the steps of the Indian bowlers and fielders. Lloyd fell cheaply as he was caught by Kapil off Binny for eight.
Larry Gomez was dismissed by Madan Lal. Jeoff Dujon (25), who lasted 90 minutes, fell to Amarnath's slow medium-pace. Marshal (18) too fell in Amarnath's very next over. Soon Kapil snared Roberts (4) as the Windies slumped to 126/9.
Garner and Holding was the last-wicket pair. Amaranth trapped Holding in front of the wicket and umpire Dickie Bird upheld the appeal as the Caribbeans were shot out for 140 in 52 overs. India won the World Cup for the first time.
Back to top