Hyderabad: On 17 September 2023, the final of the Asia Cup was played between India and Sri Lanka in Colombo. Sri Lankan batters succumbed to the magical spell of pacer Mohammed Siraj and the team was bundled out for 50. Six batters had returned to the pavilion after only 12 runs. In the history of cricket, the number of times a team has been able to make a comeback after this score can be counted on fingers and the stories of a team winning the match after such a situation are even less.
Till now 12 ODI World Cups have been played and this has happened only once in the World Cup but no video of that game is available.
Such an opportunity came 40 years ago - On 20 March 1983, the cricket world was in the midst of the third World Cup, which was eventually won by India. The team not only challenged the dominance of West Indies but also shattered their dream of scoring a hat-trick of World Cup wins. The innings played by Kapil Dev at Tunbridge Wells is one of the best innings in the history of the game. But the irony is that only stories can be narrated about the innings and there is no video evidence of it.
The 20th match of the World Cup 1983 was played between India and Zimbabwe. Skipper Kapil Dev won the toss and opted to and India's openers Sunil Gavaskar and Kris Srikkanth started the proceedings. But what happened after this is recorded in the pages of history.
Half the team returned to the pavilion while the captain was taking a bath. Kapil Dev used to bat at number six. That's why after winning the toss, Kapil Dev went to take a bath but he did not even think that half of the side would have returned to the pavilion while he was taking a shower.
Sunil Gavaskar was out without scoring in the first over itself and after that, Kris Srikanth returned to the pavilion without scoring. After both the openers were dismissed cheaply, the responsibility was on the shoulders of Mohinder Amarnath and Sandeep Patil. Both of them opened their respective accounts but within some time 'Jimmy' Amarnath was out after scoring 5 runs and Sandeep Patil was dismissed for one.
That day, Zimbabwean bowlers Peter Rawson and Kevin Curran wreaked havoc. By the time Kapil Dev was taking a shower, half the team had returned to the pavilion.
The partnership between Kapil Dev and Roger Binny: After 5 wickets fell for 17 runs, Kapil Dev started playing cautiously with all-rounder Roger Binny. The duo added 60 runs for the sixth wicket after which Roger Binny was trapped in front of the wicket. Binny, the current BCCI President, scored 22 runs. At this time India was teetering at 77 for 6 wickets. The condition of the team became worse when all-rounder Ravi Shastri left his skipper after scoring just one run and India was in a spot of bother at 78 for seven wickets.
Then Kapil's magical innings started: At this time it seemed as if India would not be able to score even 100 runs. However, skipper Kapil Dev had different ideas. Kapil Dev along with pacer Madan Lal took the team's score beyond 100 runs. Earlier ODIs were of 60 overs and lunch was taken after 35 overs. By lunch, Kapil had completed his fifty, in which there was not a single boundary.
Kapil Dev drank only two glasses of juice during lunch and returned to the crease. Madan Lal was out after scoring 17 runs but he supported his skipper and took India's score to 140. After this, wicket-keeper Syed Kirmani joined Kapil Dev. First Madanlal and then Kirmani played second fiddle to Kapil, who had by then upped the ante. Kapil Dev along with Syed Kirmani took the team's score to 266 runs in 60 overs. Kirmani remained unbeaten on 24 runs off 56 balls while Kapil Dev hammered 175 runs off 138 balls and remained unbeaten.
That day 'Hurricane' came on the ground: Kapil Dev is known as 'Haryana Hurricane' and that day the cricket world came to know why he was given this nickname. The spectators or players, who were on the ground, actually saw a storm. Kapil Dev hammered 16 boundaries and six sixes. The blitzkrieg started after he reached his fifty.
After losing half the team for 17 runs and 7 wickets for 78 runs, there came a time when the Indian players did not watch the match but when 'Haryana Hurricane' loomed on the field and it started raining fours and sixes. Players sat on their seats in the dressing room and no one moved till the innings was over. Kapil Dev, along with Syed Kirmani, scored 100 runs in the last seven overs, while Kapil Dev, who played for Haryana, completed his century in the 50th over and then scored 75 runs in the last 10 overs.
Best innings in World Cup history: Although in World Cup history, batters like Martin Guptill and Chris Gayle have also crossed the 200-run mark and many other batters have surpassed Kapil Dev's score, his innings is the best in the history of the prestigious tournament. Kapil Dev, who walked in at number six, played a blistering innings of 175 not out and pulled the team out of trouble.
Glenn Turner, who was the captain of New Zealand in the World Cup, had a record for the highest score of 171 runs. Turner opened in the 1975 World Cup and played an unbeaten inning of 171 runs off 201 balls against East Africa, hammering 16 fours and 2 sixes. Kapil broke Turner's record, which was eventually broken by swashbuckling West Indies batter Viv Richards, who smashed 181 runs in the 1987 World Cup.
There is no video evidence of this innings: India defeated Zimbabwe by 31 runs and Kapil Dev was chosen man of the match for his stupendous innings. Kapil also took one wicket and conceded 32 runs in 11 overs. He also took a catch. The players and spectators present in the stadium were the luckiest because they saw with their own eyes a record being made that the rest of the world would never see. Actually, there was a BBC strike on 20 March 1983 and this match could not be telecast live. Kapil Dev's innings will always be cherished.
Also read: Cricket World Cup 2023: Pacer Mohammed Siraj continues to inspire youths
