World Cup Chronicles: India's fairy tale run during the magical summer of 1983

When we returned [to] India, we realised how the countrymen had celebrated the win! Everybody was over the moon. Some of them said that the August 15, 1947 came back - Kapil Dev

Prologue

What started with an upset win over the mighty West Indies in a group game, metamorphised into a fairy tale run, as 'Kapil's Devils' went on to create history and win their maiden World Cup title. 

The 1983 World Cup win made cricket as India's numero uno sport, and changed the dynamics of the game in the country.

Game One (versus West Indies, Old Trafford)

Starting with India's first group game, and no one gave Kapil's boys a chance in hell against Clive Lloyd's world beating outfit, who incidentally had won the previous two World Cup finals in domineering fashion.

Yashpal Sharma came to the party, as the Punjab all-rounder cracked a splendid 89 against the ferocious West Indian pace attack and propelled the Indian score to 262.

The so called 'part-time' Indian bowling attack, spearheaded by Roger Binny and Ravi Shastri, managed to shoot out Lloyd's team for 228, thus giving India a shock 34-run win over the holders.

The loss was West Indies' first ever in a World Cup tie, and gave India the much needed momentum ahead of sterner tests ahead.

Game Two (versus Zimbabwe, Grace Road, Leicester)

The next game against Zimbabwe turned out to be a walk in the park for India, as Madan Lal's heroics with the ball helped them restrict the Africans to a meagre 155, which was later hunted down with relative ease, thanks to half-centuries by Mohinder Amarnath and Sandip Patil.

Game Three (versus Australia, Trent Bridge, Nottingham)

Australia came calling in the next game, and India's frailities were brutally exposed by Kim Hughes' side, who after racking up a mammoth 320, dismissed India for 158.

Despite Kapil's splendid five-wicket haul, Trevor Chappell (110), Graham Yallop (66) and Hughes (52) sent the Indian bowling packing, a performance which was soon complimented by medium-pacer Ken MacLeay (6 for 39), who blew away half of India's batsmen within the matter of a few overs.

Reality came calling, and the 162-run loss proved that India needed to do more than just rely on their swing bowlers, if they were to reach the semifinals.

Game Four (versus West Indies, Kennington Oval, London)

Come game four, and India's misery began against the West Indies, who extracted sweet revenge for their earlier loss, by thumping Kapil's boys by a 66-run margin.

Vivian Richards' composed 119 took the Caribbean nation to a huge 282, which ultimately proved too big a target for the Indians.

Despite Amarnath's steady 80, Andy Roberts and Michael Holding combined to skittle out India for 216, thus once again exposing an edgy batting line-up.

Game Five (versus Zimbabwe, Nevill Ground, Tunbridge Wells)

What transpired in the next match against Zimbabwe probably gave India the confidence of achieving the near impossible, as Kapil single handedly rescued India from a precarious 17 for 5, and scored a blazing 175 from 138 balls, thus completing a 'Houdini act'.   

The Zimbabwean bowlers led by Peter Rawson and Kevin Curran had wreacked havoc amongst the Indians, before Kapil decided to take matters in his own hands and turned the tie on it's head.

Sixteen fours and six sixes by Kapil's blade ensured that Zimbabwe were left in tatters, and gave India a much needed morale booster for the rest of the tournament.

A solid bowling performance by India confirmed that Zimbabwe were bundled out for 235, thus giving Kapil's boys a historic 31-run win, which helped them gear up for even tougher tests ahead.

Game Six (versus Australia, County Ground,Chelmsford)

Kapil's miraculous knock helped rejuvenate India, who went on and thrashed Australia in their final league game, thus confirming a shock entry into the semi-finals, once and for all.

Handy contributions from every Indian batsman helped the side reach a competitive 247, which was complemented by Lal and Binny, as the duo skittled out Australia for a paltry 129, courtesy their four-wicket hauls.

The huge 118-run win once again proved that the Indian bowling had the mettle to succeed in English conditions, and it was only a matter of time before Kapil's boys clicked both with bat as well as ball.

Semi-final (versus England, Old Trafford, Manchester)

Circa the semi-final and India had the gargantuan task of getting past home team England, who had world class talent in the form of David Gower, Ian Botham, Allan Lamb and Mike Gatting amongst their ranks.

Despite their superiority on paper, the English crumbled in wake of some fine bowling by India, as Kapil led charge with figures of 3 for 35, and triggered an England batting collapse.

England were all-out for 213, and India were suddenly staring at the possibilty of a place in the World Cup final, and also permanently etch their names in cricket's history books.

And Kapil's boys did not disappoint, as a spirited 61 from Sharma and a gritty 51 from Patil, helped India hunt down the English total and set up another date with Lloyd's men in the final at Lords. 

Final (versus West Indies,  Lords, London)

The final will of course be remembered for the giant killing act  carried out by Kapil's side, as the unfancied Indians managed to upset the tournament favourites by a 43-run margin, which halted the West Indies' quest for a third consecutive tournament win.

Highlights of the match include Kris Srikkanth's breezy 38, and the rest of the Indian batting putting in valuable contributions, which took them to a modest 183.

Balwinder Sandhu uprooting Gordon Greenidge's off-stump with a magical inswinger and also Kapil's sensational catch to dismiss the in-form Richards, are moments which will lie in every Indian cricket fans' memory.

As Lal and Amarnath ripped through the West Indian middle-order, it was proved that India's run to the final was no fluke, and a new order was soon to be established in the corridors of world cricket.

With Amarnath trapping last-man Holding leg-before, and Kapil's  boys grabbing a stump in one hand and trying to avoid hordes of elated, on rushing Indian supporters, on their jog back to the dressing room, India's status as a cricketing power was confirmed after that historic win at Lords, and gave the sport a new identity in the country.