'That day changed Indian cricket forever' - Twitter celebrates 39th anniversary of India's 1983 WC triumph

It’s been 39 years since the famous victory against West Indies at the 1983 World Cup and Indian fans still hold the heroes of that day in the highest regard. The Indian team did the unthinkable when they defeated the two-time World Champions by 43 runs in a low-scoring thriller. The maiden trophy lift put India on the cricketing map and sowed the seeds for the sport in the country.

India reached the finals after upsetting hosts England in the semi-finals and were looking to script a perfect ending to a fairytale run in the tournament. West Indies were the heavy favourites heading into the game but were wary of the talented Indian side, who were seeking a historic end to their tournament.

West Indies were thought to have one hand on the trophy after India’s relatively low score on the board. The West Indies chase was off to a rocky start as Balwinder Sandhu jolted the defending champions early by dismissing Gordon Greenidge for a solitary run. Vivian Richards, on the other hand, was looking in a menacing mood as he hit the Indian bowlers for boundaries at will. It took a special effort from Indian skipper Kapil Dev to send Richards back into the pavilion as he took a marvelous catch running backward.

The wicket proved to be the turning point of the final as the Indian bowlers kept chipping away at regular intervals. The Indian bowlers made the target of 183 unassailable for the Caribbean batters, and they eventually succumbed to a total of 140 runs. India did the unthinkable and were crowned champions after a brilliant display by their players in the final. Mohinder Amarnath was exceptional with the ball as he finished with figures of 3/12 and was named the Player of the Match for his all-round showing in the finale.

The West Indies pacers restrict India to a total of 183 runs

Earlier in the innings, Indians were invited to bat first by the defending champions, who were looking to clinch a third consecutive World Cup trophy. The Indian batting innings was off to a terrible start when the iconic Sunil Gavaskar was dismissed cheaply for just two runs.

Kris Srikkanth was then joined by the previous match’s hero Mohinder Amarnath. The duo consolidated after the early wicket and were looking set for a big score on the board. But West Indies’ famed fast bowling quartet of Andy Roberts, Joel Garner, Malcolm Marshall, and Michael Holding never let the Indian batters a moment’s peace, and it was only after a rearguard resistance from the bowlers that saw the Indian innings reach a tally of 183 runs.

Here’s how Twitter reacted: