New Delhi: If you are asked which day do you think is the biggest change for Indian cricket, what will be your answer? Certainly, you will consider the day of Indian Cricket Team's 1983 World Cup champion as the greatest. But if you were told that even before that there was a day in this World Cup, which made the biggest contribution in changing the fortunes of Team India, what would you say? It is certain that if you ask about that day, then let us tell you that the day was June 18, 1983, exactly 27 years before today. Till then, he could not even achieve Test status, against Kapil Dev who had scored 175 * runs against Zimbabwe, which changed everything for Team India.
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Team India came down after losing 2 matches badly
Team India's entry in the 1983 World Cup was the most stubborn team. In the last two World Cups played in England itself, the Indian team could win only one match from East Africa and in 1979 they were defeated by Sri Lanka, who did not get Test status.
In such a situation, in the 1983 World Cup, the Indian team created a panic on 9 June by defeating the West Indies which won both the previous World Cups. But after this, Australia was beaten by 162 runs and again by the West Indies by 66 runs and brought straight to the ground. In such a battered environment, Team India competed with Zimbabwe on the grounds of Turnbridge Wells.
Zimbabwe started with a bang
Zimbabwe captain Duncan Fletcher lost the toss for the fifth time in a row and Kapil batting first for his team. But in damp weather, Kapil's decision seemed wrong when both the openers Sunil Gavaskar and K.K. Srikanth returned to score 0–0 without scoring any runs.
The Zimbabwean pace bowler duo Peter Rawson and Kevin Curran achieved a great swing and soon the score was 4 for 9. Zimbabwean wicketkeeper Dave Houghton had taken three catches. Kapil was entered on this score, but India also lost their 5th wicket for 17 runs.
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Kapil got a partner like Kirmani
Kapil Dev, playing responsibly as a captain, also persuaded Roger Binny at the other end to persevere by convincing him. As a result, both these batsmen took the score to 77 runs. But here Binny (22 runs) lost his wicket. Then came Ravi Shastri on the wicket, Ravi Shastri scored only 1 run, but Madan Lal made 17 runs while giving the captain some support. During this, Kapil kept increasing the score on his own.
Kapil got the real partner in the form of wicketkeeper-batsman Syed Kirmani after Madan Lal returned to score 140, who scored 24 not out with Kapil returning to the pavilion. In the end, the team's score was 266 runs for 8 wickets in 60 overs. Later, Team India bowlers restricted Zimbabwe to 235 runs in just 57 overs and won the match for their team.
Kapil played a very controlled innings
Kapil Dev may have scored an unbeaten 175 runs in this match, but his innings was not full of spectacle for the audience from anywhere, but instead he showed his full responsibility and carried forward his innings. Despite scoring a mere 138 off 175 balls, he did not have a single cross-sloping shot for 140 runs in his innings, while he also hit 16 fours and 6 sixes.
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Kapil completed his century in the 49th over and after this, he scored 75 runs in the next 11 overs. His innings not only won the match to Team India but also gave him the encouragement that almost a lost match can also be won. It was this inspiration that prepared the Indian team to not give up till the last ball in the rest of the World Cup matches, which was shown by Team India as the champions despite being dismissed for just 138 runs against the West Indies in the World Cup final.
Team India's first ODI century and world's highest score
Kapil's 175 runs was the new record for the biggest score of any batsman in the world in ODI cricket at that time. Later this record was broken by Viv Richards of West Indies. Kapil's century was also the first ODI century for Team India, which can be said to be the foundation of the record of centuries of Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.
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It took 15 years for Team India to score 150+
How great Kapil's innings was can be gauged that a batsman of Team India had to wait for 15 years after that to cross the score of 150+ again. Incidentally, on 9 April 1998, the next 150+ score for Mohammad Azharuddin (Mohammad Azharuddin) scored for Team India, the innings of 153 not out was also played in Cuttack against Zimbabwe.
Not a single video of Kapil's innings is present
Kapil Dev may have played the greatest innings in Indian ODI cricket history, but there is not a single video to inspire the younger generation from this innings. Actually, the employees of the TV channel company broadcasting the World Cup matches were on strike on the day of this match. Because of this, no video of the match was shot.
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