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June 25, 1983: When India conquered the world 35 years ago

The epochal World Cup triumph of India in 1983 turns 35 today

One of the most endearing pictures in Indian sports: Kapil Dev holding the Prudential Cup at Lords in 1983

Bengaluru, June 25: June 25. It will always remain one of the most cherished date in Indian cricket. It was on this day 35 years ago, India climbed the summit of ODI cricket at Lord's, England, shocking the mighty West Indies.

Of course, India were crowned kings of one-day cricket in 2011 under MS Dhoni, but the Kapil's Devils will be remembered fondly for changing India's cricketing landscape forever. The 2011 triumph had a touch inevitability to it, but the '83 victory came from nowhere and established cricket in India's sporting psyche. Here MyKhel gathers a few memories.

Krishnamachari Srikkanth

We won the World Cup because of one player - Kapil Dev. From day one of the tournament to the final, he remained a force of inspiration for all of us. Before the final he told us: 'If we can beat West Indies once (in the preliminary stage), we can do it again.' Those words kept us motivated as a team and the rest is history.

Roger Binny

It was a great tournament for all of us and in which Kapil came to his own as a player and captain. The way he rescued us against Zimbabwe (India were 17/5) with a hundred at Tunbridge Wells spoke volumes about his caliber as a cricketer. We will not have another player like Kapil. In fact, without that 100, the tournament would have been over for us. We also beat West Indies at Manchester and that too gave us a lot of confidence. From that match on, everything clicked for us.

The 1983 triumph: A quick glance

Madan Lal

From that day onwards, our lives were never the same. It was such a huge moment for all of us - from rank outsiders to world champions and that too by defeating the two-time winners West Indies. I would say that the catch Kapil Dev took to dismiss Vivian Richards, who was batting really well, turned the match in favour of us. If Viv stayed there for some more time then Windies would have romped home. But Kapil took one of the finest catches and that too on a massive day like World Cup final and we did not look back from thereon.

Mohinder Amarnath

The best part about the tournament triumph was that it came through a team effort - absolute team effort. Of course, Kapil was the leader and he led like your captain should be leading. But then everyone chipped in - Srikkanth, Binny, Kiri (Syed Kirmani), Ballu (Balwinder Singh Sandhu), Madi (Madan Lal), Yash (Yashpal Sharma), you name any player and he made important contributions throughout the World Cup. Rarely, you get to see such collective effort through a tournament. Yes, it is a moment of great personal joy that I was able to deliver in the final against the West Indies (26 runs and three wickets) but I value that effort because ultimately the team stood as champions.

Balwinder Singh Sandhu

A great victory that came through team effort and the sheer will of Kapil Dev. It was a matter of great joy that I was able to get the big wicket of Gordon Greenidge early on that set the tempo for the match. But then there were many other factors the turned the final in our favour - Srikkanth's innings, Kapil's catch and Mohinder's all-round effort. It was just a great team effort and our desire to excel on the field.

Story first published: Monday, June 25, 2018, 15:17 [IST]
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