1983 World Cup: An Unforgettable English Summer In The History Of Indian Cricket

India is a country of 1.3 billion people, in which people of different ethnicities and religions live. Everyday many Indians confront each other on caste and religion. Cricket is the only thing which unites every Indian together. Today, cricket is the most popular game in India and people consider it as their religion. In 1932, India had played it's first International cricket match but the popularity of the game in the country increased after the victory in the 1983 World Cup. 

Today is the 37th anniversary of India’s historical win in the 1983 World Cup. On this day 37 years ago, Kapil’s Devils lift the World Cup trophy in the home of cricket. After the Independence in 1947, the 1983 World Cup victory was the biggest thing in India. This win changed Indian cricket forever. Today, India is the powerhouse of cricket and that's because of the victory in the 1983 World Cup. India’s success in the 1983 World Cup has made several changes in the world cricket like – a) West Indies dominance in cricket ended b) England lost the hosting of next World Cup c) Cricket became more popular in the sub-continent countries d) Many young kids, including the legend Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar, got inspired by this victory. In the 1983 World Cup people’s expectation and media pressure on the team was very less as compared to the 2011 World Cup. The pressure in the 1983 World Cup was less but the facility level was also poor as compared to the 2011 World Cup. There was no supporting and coaching staff with the team in the 1983 World Cup. Today, the Indian national cricket team have at least 10 people in the supporting & coaching staff and also 2-3 doctors in the team. The 1983 World Cup is a primary reason for the enormous change in Indian cricket. Kapil Dev and his teammates had created history without coaching and support staff in the team. What were the factors which led Kapil and his boys to lift the trophy in the historical balcony of the Lord's?

The 1983 World Cup victory gives us a good life lesson. In India’s success in the 1983 World Cup, there were many good qualities in the team or in the players which led them to the victory. These qualities are very important for everyone to get success in life.

#1. Self-Belief:  Before the 1983 World Cup, India’s record in the World Cups was very poor. India had won only one match in the previous World Cups (in 1975 & 1979) which was against the non-test playing nation, East Africa. Since the victory in the 1983 World Cup, in every interview related to that tournament Kapil and his teammates had said that “Before the World Cup, our plan was to play 6 group matches just for the formality and then a big holiday in the USA with our families.” In some talks, Kapil Dev has said that after winning the first two matches against the strongest teams (West Indies and Australia) of the tournament had changed our mindset. After winning those two matches, we had got a belief that we can do something big in this tournament. This belief led the Indian team to the victory.

#2. Courage: In that World Cup, the skipper Kapil Dev had played an extraordinary inning in a match against Zimbabwe. The match was very important for India. Kapil Dev had won the toss and elected bat first but unfortunately, India had lost the first five wickets in just 17 runs. Then, Kapil Dev went out for the batting. In that difficult situation, instead of recklessness, Kapil Dev showed courageous approach and became the first player to smash a century for India in ODI cricket. Kapil Dev had scored 175* in just 138 balls with 16 fours and 6 sixes. This is still one of the best innings by an individual in the World Cup.

#3.The understanding between teammates: In Kapil Dev’s astonishing innings of 175* against Zimbabwe, all his teammates had played an important and hidden role. After losing the first five wickets in just 17 runs, Kapil had spent some time in the crease. Kapil had survived till the lunch by rotating the strike but the team’s total was below 100 runs. In one of the interviews, Kapil Dev has said that when he came to the dressing room for the lunch, all his teammates went out from the room so that they couldn't interact with Kapil. They did this to maintain the temperament of the captain. After the lunch, Kapil again went for the batting and smashed a memorable knock. Understanding the behaviour of teammate played an important role here which became very helpful for the team in the end.

#4. Good Balance: To uphold a perfect balance in life is very important for everyone. The one who maintains a good balance becomes successful in life. India’s squad in the 1983 World Cup was very balanced. There was a great depth in the batting lineup. Syed Kirmani who was the wicket-keeper of the team was bat at No.9 position. In that batting lineup, all the players had scored at least one half-century in the Test cricket. Not only was the depth but there also the good combination of attacking and defensive batsmen in that batting lineup. In the 1983 World Cup, India had some attacking batsmen like – Krishnamachari Srikkanth, Yashpal Sharma, Kapil Dev, Sandeep Patil and also some defensive & technically solid batsmen like – Sunil Gavaskar, Mohinder Amarnath, Kirti Azad. The squad was full of all-rounders like - Kapil Dev, Madan Lal, Mohinder Amarnath, Kirti Azad.

#5. Confidence: To do any task or to get success in a particular work, confidence plays a major role. People with good confidence never fail to deliver the best out of them. In the final of 1983 World Cup, the world had seen a perfect example of confidence when Madan Lal asked Kapil Dev to give him one extra over in the spell. India was defending a small total of 184 and West Indies’ best batsman Viv Richards was in an attacking mood. Sir Richards was smashing the Indian bowlers all over the ground. When Richards was on 33 runs, Kapil Dev wants to give a break to Madan Lal but he requested the skipper to give him one over extra in the spell. In one of the interviews, Kapil Dev had said that “My heart was saying that don’t give the ball to Madan but Madan’s confidence forced me to give him one extra over in his spell”. In that over, Madan Lal got Richards wicket. Kapil Dev took a stunning catch to get Richards out. Later, this moment became the turning point of the match. Madan Lal’s confidence led team India to success.

#6. NO to Overconfidence: The line between confidence and overconfidence is very narrow. Confidence is very important for a person to perform a task but overconfidence always leads to failure. In a final of the 1983 World Cup, all the players and spectators of West Indies were very confident that they will win the Cup for the third time as India was the underdog. After India’s batting, their confidence has turned into overconfidence as their spectators had started chanting or showing the banners of West Indies win but in the end, the result did not comes into their favour. India beat the dangerous West Indies by 43 runs and created history at the Lord’s.

The victory in the 1983 World Cup was a massive win for the nation. Today, India is dominating the world cricket is because of the success in the 1983 World Cup. After this World Cup, India has won only one ODI World Cup. In 2011, under the leadership of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, India had won its second ODI World Cup. Many people compare the wins of 1983 and 2011 World Cup. In the 1983 World Cup, there was no supporting & coaching staff. In 2011, the facilities were excellent but the expectation pressure on the team was huge. Which of India's World Cup wins would you rate higher, 1983 or 2011? Give your opinion on this by voting and adding a comment in the comments section.