“It win laid the platform of self-confidence for Indian cricket,” says 1983 World Cup hero Mohinder Amarnath

Mohinder Amarnath was the Player of the Match in both semi-finals and finals.

Today on June 25, 1983, the Indian team turned a new leaf in their cricketing history as they defeated the mighty West Indies in the final of the Prudential World Cup at the Lord’s ground. Led by Kapil Dev, the Indian team toppled Clive Lloyd’s two-time champion team in a thrilling match.

The hero for the Indian team’s victories in two knockout matches was all-rounder Mohinder Amarnath. He picked two wickets and made 46 runs against England in semi-finals and was named the Man of the Match.

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Then in the finals, he made a crucial 26, the second-highest score in the innings and then picked 3/12 in seven overs to win the trophy for India and was named the Player of the finals as well.

Reminiscing about the victorious journey of World Cup 37 years ago, Amarnath said, “We all were young at that time and we kept on playing as a team right through the World Cup. To win a cup or a trophy, a team effort is very important. Every player performed according to the situation and demand and it is only then a unit is made. No player can achieve anything alone till others also contribute.”

Amarnath had a storied career for India, playing 69 Tests and 85 ODIs from 1969-1989 and made 4378 Test and 1924 ODI runs with a total of 13 centuries. He picked a total of 78 international wickets as well.

The all-rounder also talked about the impact the World Cup win had on Indian cricket.

“The 1983 victory was crucial in a way because before that we had hardly achieved anything great at the international level and that team should get credit for laying the platform for Indian cricket which gave the feeling of self-confidence that we can achieve something at the international level,” he said.

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“Before this, it was only hockey that we were masters at, but after the 1983 World Cup victory, all parents wanted their kids to play cricket, represent India, and become a World champion. All the changes that are seen in Indian cricket today started after the 1983 World Cup win,” Amarnath added.

Popularly known as Jimmy, the son of India’s first Test centurion, Lala Amarnath, paid rich tributes to captain Kapil Dev’s amazing knock of 175* against Zimbabwe in an important match.

“It was an amazing inning, once in a lifetime kind of a knock and it was something rare to be witnessed. It was a brilliant inning and it was the need of the hour for a player to play that kind of a knock and Kapil as the captain led from the front that day due to which we won the match,” Amarnath signed off.

(Times of India inputs)