India had a rich cricketing tradition and many world class players by 1983, but not many trophies to show off. The one-day format was relatively new and Indians – yet to be called the men in blue (ODIs was still being played in whites) – struggled to adapt to the format. In the previous two World Cups, they won just once out of the six group matches they played.
The team led by a young, albeit charismatic, skipper Kapil Dev was promising but wasn’t in the list of favourites to win the title. Even after they made a spirited journey to the final.
And, West Indies, then, was the kind of team that made other teams uneasy with their mere presence. In the first World Cup, they were unbeaten. In the second World Cup, they were unbeaten.
For the first time in 12 years, India handed their first World Cup defeat at Manchester when they beat them by 34 runs. But the margins of West Indies subsequent wins – 101 runs, 8 wickets, 66 runs, 7 wickets, 10 wickets and 8 wickets – to enter their third consecutive final suggested that the India loss was an inexplicable aberration.
So, West Indies was expected to avenge the loss, bulldoze India and stick to the script of winning their third consecutive title. And, for the first half of the match that’s exactly what Clive Lloyd’s men did to the underdogs. It was a classic David vs Goliath contest and David was getting hammered. India were bowled for 183.
But having beaten them once, Kapil Dev and his boys fancied themselves a chance. Balwinder Sandhu removed Gordon Greenidge for one. For 66 runs, West Indies had lost their top-5. Kapil Dev had pulled off a stunner to dismiss the dangerous Vivian Richards. Then, Madan Lal and Mohinder Amarnath wrecked the West Indian line-up.
For the first time, India were crowned champions of the world. Relive this special moment of Indian cricket: