OTD 1983: India won maiden World Cup by defeating West Indies at Lord's

It has been 42 years since India clinched their maiden World Cup (then called Prudential World Cup) by defeating West Indies by 43 runs at Lord's in the third installment of the marquee event. This win was instrumental in changing the entire cricketing landscape of Indian cricket. The win at the Home of Cricket is a memory etched in the hearts of Indian cricket fans as an underdog unit scripted history against the giants of world cricket.

Opting to field first, West Indies were off to a flying start with the wicket of Sunil Gavaskar (two off 12) early on. Mohinder Amarnath combined with Kris Srikkanth to rescue India from their early setback. The latter departed was pinned in front by Malcolm Marshall when the score was on 59. India had not even crossed the 100-run mark before they lost Amarnath (26 off 80) and Yashpal Sharma (11 off 32) in quick succession.

Skipper Kapil Dev (15 off eight) and Kirti Azad (zero off three) departed in back-to-back overs while Roger Binny only contributed two runs to the scoreboard. Batters No. 9 to No. 11 were resolute during their time at the crease and contributed 42 runs to the scoreboard. India were eventually bowled out for 183 in 54.4 overs. The Clive Llyod-led unit had scored at a run rate of 4.25 while chasing prior to the final during the tournament. They were the clear favourites to go through.

An early blow came in the form of Gordon Greenidge, who scored only one off 12 deliveries. Desmond Haynes and Viv Richards joined hands to give the chase a new shape. While Haynes played it safe, Richards played in his characteristically flamboyant style. It seemed as if West Indies had gained a proper hold of the contest. The new ball had started to deteriorate and a hattrick of World Cup wins for the Windies looked like just a matter of time.

Madan Lal came to the rescue to dismiss both Haynes (13 off 33) and Richards (33 off 28). Larry Gomes (five off 16) and Llyod (eight off 17) fell with the score at 66. Wicketkeeper-batter Jeff Dujon and Malcolm Marshall tried their best to keep the scoreboard ticking. However, disciplined bowling by the Indians never let them score freely. Amarnath finished with figures of 3/12 in seven overs, Kapil (1/21 in 11 overs) only conceded 21 runs in the 11 overs bowled while Lal (3/31 in 12 overs) finished with a three-wicket haul.