REMEMBERING 1983 TRIUMPH Lessons for Team India’s Mission 2023!

As the month of June comes to an end, cricket fans all over the world were busy recalling the unforgettable triumph in this week 40 years ago that changed Indian cricket forever! It was the ‘Big Bang’ moment that Indian cricket was waiting for and it happened quite unexpectedly on the evening of 25th June 1983. India beat the mighty West Indies to lift their first ever World Cup, turning cricket into a religion for a nation that was still searching for its place in the world. With the ODI World Cup now just a few months away, it’s a vital reminder for Team India to look into their historic past and grab key lessons in their quest for a prestigious World title!

Standing at the cusp of a technological revolution, the 1983 World Cup win gave India the belief that it could take on the world and succeed. It was a classical David vs Goliath story - odds were stacked against the Indian team and nobody expected them to win. But they did! It was a reflection of the glorious uncertainty of sport in general and cricket in particular. The Indian victory also showed the import of believing in oneself and working hard with intelligence. If all of this happens in sync then anything is possible.

The terrific triumph also underlines the significance of small successes which snowball into big achievements. Barely a month before the 1983 World Cup, India had defeated West Indies in their own backyard. This was a big win as for the past 15 years West Indies had been a formidable side and had already won the previous World Cups in 1975 and 1979. In its first match of the World Cup in 1983, Team India shocked the Windies again – a success which boosted their morale and inspired the side to keep improving as the tournament progressed.

In the finals, India were put into bat after West Indies won the toss only to find their star batsman, Sunil Gavaskar back in the hut early. While no batsman got to 50, small contributions pushed India to a fighting score of 183. It seemed a straightforward win for West Indies to most experts at the halfway mark. But India’s bowlers managed to put a stranglehold on the Windies batsmen. This team effort ensured that ultimately India won the match by 43 runs.

This remarkable victory also highlights the importance of teamwork for a side’s success. The current Indian team can surely take a cue out of the earlier World Cup winning teams. The first key takeaway for the team is that the contribution of each player counts and all 11 and not just a few superstars are needed to become a champion side. While there have been many superlative individual performances by Team India in the past decade, since they won the last ICC title, a coordinated team effort has been largely missing.

This is where a Captain needs to play his part better. Kapil Dev and MS Dhoni both proved to be inspirational for their teams in 1983 and 2011. As skippers, they not only led from the front but also ensured that there was bonhomie between team members so that they could perform collectively on the field.

Instead of focussing on marquee stars like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, Team India needs to focus on building an ethic of strong teamwork. For a champion side, each one of the 11 players performs at his best. It is worth recalling that even the legendary Sachin Tendulkar won a World Cup only in 2011 when the entire team jelled like a well-oiled machine under Dhoni’s inspiring leadership.

Technically, in terms of team composition, the 1983 win highlights the crucial role that all-rounders play in ODIs. In Kapil Dev, Mohinder Amarnath, Madan Lal, Kirti Azad and Roger Binny, India had a bunch of talented all-rounders. The current Indian team lacks in this department and the inability of their batters to bowl in crunch situations as a back-up to their main bowlers, proves costly in many games. Even in the 2011 World Cup winning team, we had many batters who could bowl like Yuvraj, Raina, Sehwag and Tendulkar!

As Team India bids to end ICC trophy drought at the ODI World Cup in October-November, it will need to remain firm and steadfast in its self-belief which as Kapil’s Devils showed in 1983 can move mountains. While the BCCI and India’s voice have now become a dominant force in world cricket, the icing on the cake can only be provided by a triumph on the global stage by Team India. Here’s hoping that Rohit and Co. will deliver the goods at the upcoming ODI World Cup!

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL

Siddhaarth Mahan The writer is a specialist on Sports and Cinema who works as an actor in the Hindi film industry