Manchester: The day June 25 is always very special in the annals of Indian cricket. It is on this day that Kapil Dev and his devils (the team were called Kapil’s Devils) lifted the World Cup atop the Lord’s balcony. It was a day that changed the face of Indian cricket. India defeated West Indies in the final to emerge champions in the tournament.
Many people forger another day though – June 9. It was on this day India faced West Indies in a group encounter and defeated the two-time defending champions by 34 runs. It was the first time that the West Indies had lost a game in the World Cup.
Head coach of the current Indian team plating at the World Cup here, Ravi Shastri recalled Tuesday the memorable win over the West Indies on the opening day of the 1983 World Cup at the Old Trafford stadium here, an unexpected result that gave them the ‘belief’ of going all the way.
“It all begun here (at Old Trafford) in the summer of 1983. India played on the opening day against the West Indies, a team that had never been beaten in World Cup history. India beat the West Indies on this very ground. Plenty has changed here since then,” Shastri told ‘bcci.tv’, referring to the complete makeover the stadium has undergone.
Shastri took three wickets in the game. “Behind the ground are the railways tracks and I will never forget the place. When the game got tight Joel Garner hit one right into the railway lines. I for one will never forget that the game because I took the last wicket,” Shastri informed.
“That (win) started it all. It gave us the belief that we could beat any side, once we had beaten the West Indies. There was no stopping us. Good to be back here. The year 1983 changed the face of Indian cricket,” Shastri added.
PTI