Kapil’s 175* – The Game Changer
The 1983 world cup changed the cricketing landscape of India. The world cup win inspired millions of Indians and turned the country into the biggest cricket loving nation on the planet. It all started with one hell of an innings by Kapil Dev Nikhanj. Widely regarded as the best ODI innings ever.This is the story of how the Haryana hurricane swept Tunbridge Wells.
The Journey to England:
There was not much expectation from Indian cricket team in 1983. India got eliminated at the group stage in the previous two versions of the world cup and secured only one win against East Africa in 1975. They didn’t win any in 1979. However, determined Kapil had different plans this time. He wanted to show the true potential of team India to the rest of the world.
The beginning:
India had started well and won the first two matches of the world cup against West Indies and Zimbabwe. The win against West Indies was significant because they were the winner of the previous two world cups and didn’t lose a game so far. However, India lost the next two matches miserably against Australia and West Indies and they were in a critical situation where they had to win against Zimbabwe with a big margin in the next group game.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Match:
On 18th June 1983, India played against Zimbabwe at Tunbridge Wells. It was a cold day. India won the toss and elected to bat first. The condition was favorable for bowlers and two Zimbabwean quicks, Rawson and Curran took full advantage of it. Both the Indian openers, Gavaskar and Srikkanth got out without disturbing the scorers. Meanwhile Kapil was taking shower in the dugout, thinking his batting would not come for at least one hour.
Fall of Wickets:
Soon Mohinder Amarnath’s wicket fell and India was 6/3. Kapil was still in the shower and had no clue on the match status. Sunil Valson rushed to him. Kapil quickly came out of shower and padded up. Another one bit the dust, it was stylist Sandeep Patil and the scoreboard showed India was 9/4. Kapil got up and silently walked towards the 22 yards. It was pin drop silence in the dressing room. Some of them realized that the dream of playing in knockouts was evaporating quickly. Kapil joined with Yashpal Sharma in the middle and they started to build the innings slowly. Yashpal fell next and India was 17/5.
The Dressing Room:
The dressing room was in the basement. All the players tried to hide themselves wherever they could. The pain and agony were getting reflected from the faces of Indian cricketers all over. After 20 minutes they heard the roar of the crowd and then again after five minutes. They heard the clap and then again and again. No one knew what was going on as they were not watching the game anymore. Slowly they gathered the confidence and went up to see the match.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Magic:
It was beyond their wildest dream. They can’t believe what they were witnessing. Kapil had taken control and was building the innings with Roger Binny gracefully. Later he made two crucial partnerships with Madan Lal and Kirmani. Man Singh was the manager of Indian team and he ordered out of superstition that no one dared to move from their places. They all witnessed the magic of Kapil without a bio break.
The Strategy:
Kapil realized plenty of balls left in the innings and if they could manage to bat full 60 overs then India could put a respectable total on board. He requested Binny not to play any lofted shot. Kapil also played along the ground till the 49th overs until he scored the century and unleashed thereafter for the remaining 11 overs. After scoring the hundred also he didn’t get relaxed as he knew the job is half done and any mistake at this point could end the journey of the world cup for team India.
Pitch at Edge of square:
Kapil also took the advantage of the pitch as it was at the edge of the square and it made one side of the boundary shorter than the other. Kapil scored his boundaries on the shorter side and converted one into twos and twos into threes on the longer side.
Final score:
After 60 overs India posted 266/8 and Kapil was unbeaten at 175. An innings, with 16 boundaries and 6 over boundaries. Zimbabwe scored 235 before bowled out at 57 overs. India won by 31 runs.
Aftermath:
The mindset of the entire Indian team got changed after the win. They started believing in themselves and confidence was so high that they defeated Australia convincingly in the next match and secured the place for knockouts.
The innings changed the complete dimensions of Indian cricket. Gavaskar said it was the best ODI innings he had ever witnessed. Unfortunately, due to industrial dispute the match was not broadcasted. Nonetheless, one man rewrote the destiny of Indian cricket single-handedly. Overcoming all the hurdles to establish India as one of the supreme forces of world cricket. A man stood alone on behalf of millions. Respect.