Viv Richards praises Kapil Dev, says India deserved to win 1983 World Cup

Dubai, Jan 24: West Indies' batting legend Sir Vivian Richards has said India deserved to win the after beating his team twice in the tournament.

Recalling the 1983 World Cup , Richards praised Kapil Dev and said no other Indian fielder could have taken his catch.

India's World Cup winning captains Kapil Dev and MS Dhoni with the trophies

Kapil's famous running catch to dismiss Richards off Madan Lal in the final swung the match towards India. Richards was looking dangerous but his 28-ball 33 was cut short by Kapil's brilliance. West Indies were bowled out for 140 while chasing 184. Richards was the top scorer.

Writing for International Cricket Council's (ICC) website, Richards said, "In the ICC Cricket World Cup 1983, we had the opportunity to win the tournament for a third time. There was another team with a different idea.

"At that time India wasn't known for its one-day cricket. But Kapil Dev, a cricketer whom I admire a lot, instilled a new belief in them that certain dreams can be achieved."

He said his team was in control of the run chase but overcast conditions were perfect for Indian bowlers.

"During the final we were in control of the match, but when we batted it went overcast a bit. And India had just the right bowlers - Madan Lal, Balwinder Sandhu, Roger Binny and Mohinder Amarnath - for such conditions.

That famous catch from Kapil

"I was out hooking and no other India fielder other than Kapil could have taken that catch. It showed the belief in him. India won and I will never forget the celebrations at the hotel that night. There were tablas and drums, dancing and everything, and I didn't feel too disappointed. When you beat the world champions twice in one tournament, you deserve to win it," Richards recalled.

Richards won 1975 and 1979 World Cups and was West Indies' captain in 1987 edition. He scored 1,013 runs at an average of 63.31 in 23 World Cup matches.

This year's World Cup will be held in Australia and New Zealand from February 14 to March 29. India are the defending champions.

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