London: 1983 World Cup triumph is referred to as the turnaround moment for Indian cricket where the pushovers became a side with grit and determination to win. India lifted the World cup after defeating West Indies in the final but before achieving this milestone, the Kapil Dev-led side went through a pressure situation.
It was at The Nevill Ground in Tunbridge Wells that India played Zimbabwe on June 18. India might have gone out at the group stage were it not for Kapil’s record innings.
Other than being a part of modern cricket folklore, the knock which lifted India to victory from 17/5 has assumed mythical character because there is no video recording of that game.
Kapil played responsible yet brutal innings and smashed 175 runs to provide his team with some much-needed stability. India went on to score 266/8 in 60 overs. Later, riding on some economical spells from Madan Lal and Roger Binny, India registered a 31-run win over Zimbabwe.
What followed after the fall of the fifth wicket was the very definition of a captain’s innings. Not only was it a match-winning contribution, but Kapil’s display in Kent also turned the course of the tournament.
From this point on, the Indian juggernaut had momentum and belief. If they could get out a scrape like this, anything was possible.
Interestingly, The BBC was on strike and only those present at the ground that day know how things unfolded during the course of an innings which changed Indian cricket for good.
It could have been so different, though, had Kapil Dev not played that memorable inning at Tunbridge Wells. His 175 not out against Zimbabwe proved a tipping point for Indian cricket and, from that moment on, there was no holding India back.
