The year 1983 was a turning point for the sport of cricket in India. Led by the iconic Kapil Dev and boasting the likes of Sunil Gavaskar, Ravi Shastri, Kris Srikkanth and Madan Lal among their ranks, India went on to win their first-ever ODI World Cup, beating heavyweights like Australia, England, and defending champions West Indies in the final to lift the coveted trophy.
It was an emphatic win for India, not only because they were underdogs entering the tournament, but also because of the many records that they set during this mega event.
On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of their magical victory, we look at 10 facts about that team which made their victory even more special.
1. India lost three of their four warm-up matches, including one against a minor county side, in the build-up to the 1983 World Cup.
2. India had only one victory in World Cup matches ahead of the 1983 edition of the tournament —
against East Africa in 1975.
3. West Indies had not lost in the men's World Cup before losing twice in India in 1983, including their defeat in the final.
4. West Indies' score of 140 in the World Cup final was their lowest total in the tournament.
5. Kapil Dev became India's first ODI centurion with 175* against Zimbabwe and also took India's first five-for (5-43 vs Australia) in ODI cricket during the 1983 World Cup.
6. India's Yashpal Sharma was the highest scorer during their match against Australia where they scored 247 runs. This is still the highest total in Men's ODIs without a score above 40.
7. India had previously lost all five ODIs that they played against England in England before their win in the 1983 World Cup semifinal.
8. Sandeep Patil smashed an unbeaten 51off just 32 balls in the semifinal, which is still the second fastest by an Indian in the World Cup. It remained the fastest for more than 20 years till Sachin Tendulkar smashed a half-century off just 26 balls against Bermuda in the 2007 World Cup.
9. Mohinder Amarnath was the first cricketer to be the Player of the Match in both the semifinal and the final.
10. Kris Srikanth's 38 during the title clash is the lowest of all highest scores in the ODI World Cup final — Men's or Women's and ODI or T20.
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