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India are currently a powerhouse in world cricket, and the mega Indian Premier League (IPL) media rights deal that earned the BCCI over Rs 48,000 crores is a testament to this fact. Even going into major ICC international tournaments, the Men in Blue are always favourites. But back in the early 80s, they were not considered a threat to the big cricketing nations like West Indies, Australia and England.
All that changed on June 22, 1983, after a dominating performance against Prudential Cup (then the World Cup) hosts England condemned them to a six-wicket defeat that cemented India's place as a team to beat at this stage of a major competition.
India, captained by Kapil Dev, were never favourites coming into the World Cup. In fact, many predicted the Indian team to get eliminated from the tournament in the group stages itself. But the side scripted history with dominant performances throughout the tournament, despite losses to West Indies and Australia. In fact, their 162-run loss to the Australians (in their first group stage match) almost eliminated India, but they turned things around in the final game of the group stage, beating the same opponents by 118 runs.
Many expected them to falter against the hosts, who had players like Ian Botham, Mike Gatting and Bob Willis, in the penultimate match of the premier tournament.
India vs England, Manchester 1983: A momentous day in Indian cricket history
Batting first, hosts England scored 213 runs on a good Manchester pitch, and India reached this target with the loss of just four wickets in 54.4 overs.
Many were surprised with the result as England were clear favourites to go all the way in the tournament. Meanwhile, India were the dark horses, who also beat the mighty West Indies in the league stage. Many put that opening group stage win down to the team's luck. The win over England proved the doubters wrong.
England captain Bob Willis won the toss and put his team to bat first. Graeme Fowler and Chris Tavery gave England a good start, with the openers adding 69 runs for the first wicket, Roger Binny's double strike turned the tide in India's favour. This was followed by Mohinder Amarnath's brilliant bowling to send David Gower and Mike Gatting back to the pavilion. Soon after Gatting's wicket, skipper Kapil Dev bundled the lower order, bagging three wickets for himself.
Chasing a subpar total, openers Sunil Gavaskar and Krishnamachari Srikkanth gave India a solid start. But the real stars of the batting department were Yashpal Sharma, who scored 61 runs, alongside Amarnath's fighting 46. This was followed by a pinch-hitting half-century from Sandeep Patil, that gifted India a confidence-boosting victory heading into the final. And the rest is cricketing history.
