The Amazing Story of How India Beat the World Champions

In March 1983, India played the World Champions at Lord’s Cricket Ground and beat them. This was one of the biggest upsets in cricketing history, but it was also more than that - it was one of the most amazing underdog stories in sports history as well. 14 men, inspired by captain Kapil Dev’s self-belief and conviction, went up against what seemed like unbeatable odds to orchestrate India’s greatest sporting triumph ever. So how did this happen? What went on behind the scenes? And what led to this dream team coming together? Let’s take a look...

This is how things were before the 1983 world cup

West Indies was a dominating force at home. They had won three successive Cricket World Cups and were on their way to win a fourth. Their captain Clive Lloyd, so feared for his cricketing prowess, that he was nicknamed 'Lord' by his teammates. The rest of his team included names like Viv Richards, Malcolm Marshall, Gordon Greenidge, and Joel Garner. On the other hand, nobody knew who Kapil Dev was or what he even looked like.

This was what happened at the 1983 world cup

India, who in 1975 had lost their entire 14-man squad and a manager to hijackers from Bangladesh on an away series there, beat defending champions West Indies. It was sweet revenge for India, who had been battered by Clive Lloyd's men 6-1 (three ties and three innings defeats) in 1979. By 1983 they were a much-improved side led by Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, and Sandeep Patil - but with only one win against New Zealand in six Tests they were ranked eighth. They qualified easily with five wins from seven games but few gave them any chance against Lloyd's dominant West Indies.

Here are some interesting statistics about this win

West Indies had come into being unbeaten in its last 47 test matches; prior to this one, they’d won every World Cup match they’d played at home. In other words, West Indies had an intimidating record at home and was looking strong as ever to lift its third consecutive world title. However, inspired by legendary batsman Sunil Gavaskar, cricketing prodigy Kapil Dev, and some unlikely heroes, India staged a stunning comeback.