In the 1983 Cricket World Cup, India was given a boost in that it would be able to play two matches against each of the three teams in its pool. The only minnows in the World Cup were the Zimbabwe cricket team, a team that India was grouped with. India were also grouped with the West Indies and Australia, creating formidable matchups for a team that had become known for its inability to perform in the World Cup.
First Round.

The tournament opened on June 9, 1983.

India opened up their campaign against the favourites, the West Indies.

The India versus West Indies game got off to a delayed start, thanks to rain. Invited to bat first, India managed its first really decent total of the competition, Yashpal Sharma (89 off 120) leading the way with the likes of Roger Binny and Madan Lal contributing useful runs in the lower order after the top batsmen had failed to do much of substance. The West Indies reply was a precursor to the drama of the final -- Balwinder Sandu's banana swing deceived Gordon Greenidge, and some superb ground fielding accounted for Desmond Haynes to reduce the chasing side to 56/2 when stumps were drawn for the day.

On resumption the next morning, skipper Kapil Dev went flat out on the attack -- and wicket-keeper Syed Kirmani produced the goods when he snaffled a magnificent catch to send back Vivian Richards off Binny for just 17. Bacchus, Lloyd, Dujon, Gomes and Marshall went cheap, and only a fighting last wicket stand of 71 between Roberts and Garner saved the two-time champions the blushes. It was not enough, though, to prevent India from sealing a 34-run win -- the first defeat for the West Indies in all World Cup matches till date. India's performance was completely unexpected from a side that had merely made up the numbers in the first two Cups -- but connoisseurs nodded wisely and pointed to the fact that in March that year, India had produced its first ever one-day win over the West Indies, at the St Albion Grounds in Berbice, Guyana. But it shocked all observers with a 34 run victory.

Star of the Show: Yashpal Sharma (1983) In a lively Old Trafford pitch, gloomy weather and the West Indian pace quartet in action — it’s hard to think of a more challenging situation for a batsman. It was under these conditions that Yashpal Sharma made 89 gritty runs off 120 balls, guiding India to 262 for 8. In reply, the West Indies were bowled out for 228. This was the first defeat suffered by the Caribbeans in the World Cup since its inception in 1975, and the victory was quite a morale-booster for India.. India totalled up 262 in 60 overs and tumbled the West Indies out for 228, thanks to a quick 3 wickets from Ravi Shastri.

India vs Zimbabwe
For India, the World Cup turned almost into a Test match, as it found itself playing on three consecutive days. After the long-drawn match against the Windies on 9th and 10th, it turned up on June 11 to play -- and defeat -- Zimbabwe with ease, Madan Lal and Roger Binny starring with the ball as the Indians bundled Zimbabwe out for 155, before Mohinder Amarnath and Sandeep Patil led a batting effort that saw India overhaul the target in the 38th over with five wickets in hand.  The second successive win underscored some of the latent strengths in the side -- allrounders Madan Lal, Roger Binny and Ravi Shastri were time and again producing tight spells and taking wickets in the middle, while Mohinder Amarnath's controlled bowling was the icing on a batsmanship that saw Windies skipper Clive Lloyd rate him, just a day earlier, as the best player of fast bowling in the world.

A confident team went on to deal out a thrashing against Zimbabwe, chasing down the total of 156 with 23 overs and 5 wickets to spare, helped by a half-century from Sandeep Patil (50 from 54 balls, 7 fours, 1 six). Madan Lal was the destroyer in chief with his three wickets.

India vs Australia
However, the confidence and morale were short-lived as India was dealt out a 162 run thrashing from Australia 2 days later. India collapsed to 158 attempting to chase Australia's mammoth 320. Australia won the toss and decided to bat. India decided not to field. Putting up perhaps the most pathetic fielding display ever by an Indian side in World Cup matches, the Indians allowed Australia to plunder 320/9 in the allotted 60 overs. The injured Greg Chappell was sitting out this game, but Trevor, the youngest of the Chappells, came in as opener and managed 110 off 131 balls, with the benefit of two lives. In fact, it is hard to think of an Australian batsman who did not get a life and/or gift runs. India managed, in reply, a mere 158 all out in 37.5 overs, coming to grief against Ken MacLeay (6 for 39). MacLeay was in fact responsible for triggering the slide, as India slumped -- in a fashion the team has patented, and still monopolizes, from 38/1 to 57/4 and 66/6. The only Indian player who came out of the game with self-respect intact was skipper Kapil Dev, who followed up his 5/43 with the ball with a typical 40 off just 27 in a losing cause with the bat. The margin of defeat was 162 runs.

India vs West Indies

India took on the West Indies on a track of variable bounce at the Kennington Oval and, for the first half the game, watched a batting master-class by Vivian Richards. Greenidge was out early, but Richards starred in successive partnerships of 101 for the second wicket with Haynes and 80 for the third wicket with Clive Lloyd. Six of the seven batsmen who followed managed only single digit scores, but Richards' innings of 119 off 146 powered the side to 282/9 in 60 overs.

India in reply lost both openers cheap (Gavaskar continued to be rested) before Mohinder Amarnath (80 off 139) and Dilip Vengsarkar (32 off 59) combined in a 109-run stand for the third wicket. Vengsarkar however retired hurt after taking a Marshall express on the face, and only Kapil Dev (36/46) managed any resistance as India folded for 216 against the near-unplayable pace of Roberts (2/29), Holding (3/40) and Marshall (1/20 in 11 overs). India was unable to chase despite Mohinder Amarnath's (80 from 139 balls) good innings.

India vs Zimbabwe

India's next match against Zimbabwe was to become famous for the remainder of history. The favourites, India, were 5-17 by an emerging Zimbabwe bowling lineup. A defeat would have made qualifying for the semifinal impossible, but Kapil Dev's (175 from 138 balls, 16 fours, 6 sixes)* famous innings took India to 266 (he combined with Syed Kirmani (24 from 56 balls, 2 fours) in a 126 run 9th wicket partnership). The Zimbabwe batsmen got starts but were once again hampered by Kapil Dev and Madan Lal who got 4 wickets between them. India ended up winning by 31 runs.
Star of the Show: Kapil Dev (1983): India got off to a horrendous start in their group match against Zimbabwe at Tunbridge Wells. Their five top batsmen — Sunil Gavaskar, K. Srikkanth, Mohinder Amarnath, Sandeep Patil and Yashpal Sharma — were dismissed in quick succession, leaving the team in tatters at 17 for 5 in 13 overs. The writing seemed to be on the wall, but skipper Kapil Dev had other ideas. Launching a breath-taking counter-attack, Kapil blasted the Zimbabwe bowlers to produce one of the greatest knocks in one-day cricket. His unbeaten 175, studded with 16 fours and six sixes, took India to a respectable total of 266 for 8 in 60 overs. Buoyed by their captain’s pyrotechnics, the bowlers restricted the opposition to 235, securing a win that looked improbable at one stage.

Unfortunately, the match was not covered by the BBC due to a strike. In the absence of a video recording, only photographs give us a glimpse of Kapil’s one-of-a-kind innings.

India vs Australia

The India versus Australia encounter at Chelmsford was equally crucial for the semifinal prospects of both teams. Batting first, India turned in a weird performance -- barring number one Sunny Gavaskar (9 off 10) and number 11 Balwinder Sandhu (8 off 18), every other batsman made double figures, and five of them in fact went past 20. Yet, with the batsmen throwing their wickets away in self-destructive fashion, only Yashpal Sharma (40/40) managed to outscore Extras (37, thanks to an undisciplined effort by the Australians that produced 15 no-balls and 9 wides).

Australia's reply is one a proud sporting nation would have been glad to forget. The fall of wickets in fact tells the tale: 1/3, 2/46, 3/48, 4/52, 5/52, 6/69 -- the chasing side was never, ever in the hunt against steady, disciplined seam bowling led by Madan Lal (4/20), Roger Binny (4/29) and Balwinder Sandhu (2/26), and in the end lost by the huge margin of 118 runs to put India into the semis.

England -- which had won five of six league games by enormous margins --- was, quite simply, blind-sided. A day before the semifinal, the overconfident hosts -- with the likes of Geoff Boycott and Ray Illingworth leading the way --- were talking of strategy and tactics to be used in the final.

Batting first on winning the toss, Graeme Fowler and Chris Tavare put on a steady opening stand of 69 -- but the signs were already there, as India fielded in tigerish fashion, choking down the runs while the bowlers stuck to line and length. The results of this approach became visible as the England innings progressed -- strokeplayers of the order of the in-form David Gower (17 off 30), Allan Lamb (29 off 58), Gatting (18 off 46) and Botham (6 off 26) were completely shut down as India's support bowlers Roger Binny (2/43 in 12), Madan Lal (0/15 in 5) and Mohinder Amarnath (2/27 in 12) used overcast conditions and their own discipline to strangle the batting side, reducing them from 106/2 at one point to a paltry 213 all out.

Kapil Dev's name never comes up in any list of cricket strategists, but in this game, he was firing on all cylinders both with his field placement, which he tailored to the batsmen concerned, and with his bowling changes -- and nothing so symbolized the latter as his decision to give Kirti Azad a go at Ian Botham. Azad had bowled just two overs in six matches leading up to that point. Here, responding to his captain's call, he produced a spell of 12-1-28-1 that first strangled, then took out England's most dangerous middle order batsman.

England lost its last wicket off the last ball of the innings -- and ended up with a paltry 213. An unusual pointer to the kind of bowling and fielding India produced on the day was in the fact that the fastest innings in the England knock was played by Chris Tavare, that blocker extraordinaire, who took a mere 51 balls for his 32, and ended up as second highest scorer behind opening partner Fowler (33 off 59). Kapil Dev (3/35 in 11) was the most successful bowler, but it was the medium pacers who really turned up trumps.

The chase was clinical in its efficiency. Gavaskar and Srikkanth put on 41 for the first wicket with the former stroking fluently to make 25 off 41 deliveries. Mohinder Amarnath at number three focused on shutting one end down (46 off 92). Yashpal Sharma (61/115) produced, with Mohinder, an exhibition of running between wickets that had the fielding side in disarray.

And the last nail was hammered in when skipper Bob Willis decided to bring himself back into the attack, against Sandeep Patil who, a year earlier on the very same ground, had slammed a spectacular 129 off 196 balls in the second Test of the series, including a savage assault on Willis that saw him blast six boundaries in an over.

Willis came on, Sandeep Patil tucked in and by the time the mayhem was over, 'Sandy' had slammed 51 off just 32 balls, and powered India to a win with six wickets, and 5.2 overs, to spare.

Even as England supporters in the stands, upset at what to them was a shock result, took on Indian fans in a bout of fisticuffs, vice-captain David Gower was giving credit where it was due: "India have learnt the value of fielding in the one-day game," he said after the match. "Team work, and Kapil's captaincy, has made this a dangerous side."

Wisdom had dawned -- a bit too late to keep India, bottom of the table in the first two Cups, from strolling into the finals with unsuspected ease.

On the morning of June 25, Lord's was bathed in bright sunlight. England, by contrast, was bathed in gloom -- none in the host country thought much of an India versus West Indies final, which they deemed so one-sided that Englishmen who had bought their tickets in advance stood outside the gates, hoping to sell them to West Indian and Indian supporters, for reduced rates if need be.

Apparently, few if any were willing to listen to India's inspirational skipper Kapil Dev, who the evening before the match responded to questions about his team's underdog status against the two-time champions with a curt "Don't write us off!"  24,609 spectators watched as Clive Lloyd won the toss and, looking to exploit early life on the track, opted to bowl. The decision proved right -- Joel Garner (12-4-24-1) kept making the ball rear chest high off a length while at the other end, Andy Roberts (10-3-24-3) raced in to bowl flat, and very fast. Sunny Gavaskar (2 off 12) went cheap, edging Marshall to wicket-keeper Jeffrey Dujon in the third over.

More drama was provided by Krish Srikkanth, who hooked Roberts savagely for four. The television commentators of the time nodded sagely. "Roberts is setting him up," one said. "He normally bowls a slower bouncer, then a faster one." Sure enough, the man was out on the fence, and Roberts hurled down his faster bouncer -- which Srikkanth pulled off his eyebrows for 6. He then added insult to injury by going down on one knee and smashing the bowler to the square boundary for four, in course of what proved to be the eventual top score of 38 off 57, with seven fours besides the six.

Such moments of derring-do, however, were rare. India struggled against quality pace on a helpful track, and went in to lunch at 100/4, with Michael Holding accounting for Mohinder Amarnath and Larry Gomes with his innocuous spin taking out Yashpal Sharma through a mishit drive in successive overs after the two had taken India to a respectable 90/2.  Sandeep Patil (27/29) and Kapil Dev (15/8) both looked good but fell cheap, and only stubborn resistance by the tail with number 9 Madan Lal (17 off 27), number 10 Syed Kirmani (14 off 43) and number 11 Balwinder Sandhu (11 off 30) made the eventual total of 183 possible. Extras, again, performed creditably, weighing in as fourth highest scorer with 20.

With no runs on the board to play with, Kapil Dev decided to attack, setting a field that would not have disgraced a Test match. Balwinder Sandhu produced his biggest banana inswinger yet -- a ball that started out about a foot-and-a-half outside off, to which Greenidge covered up and raised his bat high only to see it curve back and hit the top of off stump. Des Haynes, however, held one end steady and Viv Richards, batting with evident contempt, swept, drove and pulled his way to 33 off 28 deliveries before Kapil Dev imposed himself on the match. Richards pulled at Madan Lal and, thanks to some seam movement, got the ball high on the bat. Kapil, fielding at orthodox midwicket, ran back in seemingly lazy fashion, head turned to see the ball coming from behind him, and plucked off a catch that only he could make appear so simple.That wicket, at 50, caused panic in the West Indies ranks. The Indians, who had looked dejected while Richards was on the rampage, rediscovered their fielding form, and Madan Lal and Roger Binny teamed up to throttle the Caribbean cavaliers. The combination of tight bowling, alert fielding and their own nerves triggered a collapse of 3 wickets for 19 runs, with Haynes (13 off 33) mis-driving Madan Lal to Binny, Gomes (5 off 16) edging Lal to Gavaskar at slip, and Lloyd (8 off 17) driving Binny to Kapil at mid off. When Bacchus edged Sandhu to Kirmani behind the stumps immediately after tea, Windies found themselves 76/6, and out for the count.

At this point Jeffrey Dujon (25 off 73) steadied the innings with calm, sensible batting, ticking the runs off and steadying his partner Malcolm Marshall (18 off 51) in a partnership that took the score to 119. Just when the game seemed to be getting away from India, however, Jimmy Amarnath struck -- a gentle in-ducker had Dujon chopping onto his stumps, and his disgusted reaction immediately thereafter indicated that he knew he had just blown the match for his side. From that point on, it was no contest -- India wrapped up the last three wickets for a further 21 runs, ending the West Indies innings on 140 (52 overs) to seal an incredible 43 run win.

The result saw scenes of indescribable pandemonium in the hitherto staid environs of Lord's. Kapil Dev couldn't seem to stop grinning and sloshing everyone in sight with champagne; Srikkanth threw convention to the winds and puffed merrily on a cigarette from the Lord's balcony; Mohinder Amarnath, whose loping run to the wicket with a 'lucky' red kerchief poking out of his trouser pocket had made him a figure of fun before two successive man-of-the-match-winning performances in the semi-final and final gave him the last laugh, finally took the red kerchief out and waved it like a banner and board president N K P Salve, who appeared to have been the main beneficiary of Kapil's champagne largesse, tipsily waved a Tricolour in everyone's face...

It was, as everyone acknowledged, a team performance par excellence. Kapil Dev led from the front, topping the batting with 303 runs with an average of 60.6 besides taking 12 wickets at 20.42 and 7 catches including the match-winning one of Richards in the final. But the real scene stealers were the medium pacers: Roger Binny with 18 wickets at 18.67 was the highest wicket-taker in the tournament, but even he was outdone by Madan Lal with 17 wickets at a mere 16.76. The economy rates were as remarkable: Kapil 2.92; Sandhu 3.58, Madan Lal 3.43, Amarnath 3.63 and Binny 3.82 made up five bowlers none of whom could be taken for four runs an over; an outstanding performance by any yardstick. And oh yes, one Syed Kirmani hauled in 12 catches and two stumpings, many of them standing up to the seamers, to give the bowling teeth.

The win was to have other, more far-reaching consequences. For the first time, Indian cricketers were to feel the taste of money. The win was worth 20,000 pounds, for starters. Industrialist Swaraj Paul added 2,500 pounds to the kitty. Amarnath hauled in 1000 pounds for his two man of the match awards in the last two games. The board gave each player Rs 5 lakh, to which Salve (perhaps it was the champagne talking) decided, impromptu, to add Rs 100,000 apiece, all of it tax-free.

Salve's promise of extra largesse was also to underline the abilities of two people who would influence Indian cricket to a considerable extent in later years. While the board chief worried over how to raise the money, Inderjit Singh Bindra came up with the idea of a Star Nite headlined by Lata Mangeshkar. And the organization of the event was left to none other than Jagmohan Dalmiya. It was perfect pairing -- Bindra the ideas man, and Dalmiya the enforcer, were some years down the line to join their talents as president and secretary, respectively, of the BCCI.

And oh yes, there was one final fall-out. Humiliated by officials of Lord's who denied them extra pavilion passes, board officials led by Salve vowed to snatch the World Cup from England and bring it to the sub-continent.

As it turned out, that was no idle threat.