OTD| India beat England in the semi-finals and advanced to their first-ever World Cup Finals in 1983

India beat England in the 1983 semi-finals, advancing to their first World Cup final. India are now a powerhouse in international cricket across formats. In the early stages of the game, West Indies and Australia bossed the game, but as the years went by, India managed to join them in the list. Turning the pages of the history book, it is evident that the foundation for India’s emergence was laid when they won their maiden title in international cricket in 1983.

Kapil Dev and his team left for England in June as underdogs with no hope of a successful campaign. However, it was not long before India realised their true potential. Their first match was against the two-time champions West Indies and who would have thought that such a formidable unit would lose the game?

That 34-run win brought a ray of hope to the Indian camp, who boosted their confidence with a massive five-wicket win over Zimbabwe in the next game. However, Australia halted their momentum by handing a 162-run thrashing and the West Indies took revenge in the subsequent game with a 66-run victory.

Kapil Dev’s ‘GOAT’ knock shifts the team’s morale

Suddenly, all hopes were dashed, but captain Kapil Dev played one of the greatest knocks in ODI history against Zimbabwe to keep his team in the hunt. India had lost half of their side for just 17 runs. Later, Kapil’s iconic unbeaten 175 off 138 took helped the team reach 266-8 in 60 overs. In reply, Zimbabwe were bundled out for 235 runs and India clinched a 31-run victory.
India became stronger as a unit and that was reflected in their second head-to-head against Australia. The Men in Blue demolished the mighty Aussies by 118 runs and marched into the semi-finals. England were the opponent for Kapil and Co. in the knockout stage. The Indian bowlers managed to restrict the hosts to 213-10 in the first innings.

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While the captain shone with three wickets, Roger Binny and Mohinder Amarnath took two wickets each. A collective batting effort from the top and middle order saw India chase down the target in 54.4 overs. Mohinder Amarnath was adjudged Player of the Match for his vital contributions in both departments (2/27 & 46 off 92). Yashpal Sharma (61 off 115) and Sandeep Patil (51* off 32) also chipped in with crucial runs.