India entered the 1983 World Cup as the underdog, but they shocked the world by defeating great teams including Australia, England, and the two-time defending champions West Indies en route to victory.
The competition saw the Kapil Dev-led side meet the mighty West Indies three times, including the final. They were successful in two of the three matches.
India was knocked over for 183 in the final. West Indies’ batting order included legends like as Gordon Greenidge, Desmond Haynes, Viv Richards, and Clive Lloyd.
However, India’s all-round bowling performance helped them win the match by 43 runs. Madan Lal and Mohinder Amarnath each took three wickets to demolish their opponents.
Andy Roberts, a member of the West Indies team in the final, recently stated in an interview that India was fortunate to win the final.
According to the ace fast bowler, the West Indies were the superior team, but India had the stars aligned in their favour on that particular occasion.
“Yeah, we lost to India. It was one of those things. As we all know, cricket is a game of glorious uncertainties. You win some, and you lose some. We are always prepared to lose. We play to win—not at all costs, but fair and squarely. We were not outplayed by a better team. But as we all know, cricket is a game where you have to be on top for the duration of the match. We outplayed India up to the end of India’s innings. And you see, people don’t look at cricket as a game of luck and chance. Up until 1983, we hadn’t lost a World Cup game. In 1983, we were beaten twice. There were only two defeats between 1975 and 1983 in the World Cup, and India beat us both times,”
Roberts told Sportstar.
“We were in form but due for a bad game. It was just India’s luck in 1983. Because of that great team that we had, we lost two games in 1983, and both to India. And then, five or six months later, we beat India 6-0. So, it was just that game. Luck went India’s way after they were dismissed for 180-odd. We weren’t outplayed. We just lost the game. It was not overconfidence or complacency,”
he added.
Viv Richards, the legendary West Indian batsman, played a swashbuckling knock of 33 off 28 balls in the final, seemingly taking the game away from India.
Madan Lal, on the other hand, was able to dismiss him after Kapil Dev made an incredible catch sprinting backward. This was the decisive moment in the final, according to Roberts.
“I think it was when Viv (Richards) got out. We could never recover. The only difference in the finals is that in 1975 and 1979, we were inserted. In ‘83, we batted second. That was the difference,”
said Roberts.
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