India's 1983 Cricket World Cup Victory

India's 1983 cricket World Cup victory over the mighty West Indies is widely acknowledged as the defining moment in the history of Indian cricket. Under the spirited leadership of Kapil Dev, a determined Indian team exploited the English conditions to clinch the coveted title.

India made their intentions pretty clear by shocking the favorites West Indies in their campaign opener. In their next match, India thrashed the minnows Zimbabwe with Madan Lal playing a pivotal role. However the euphoria over the successive wins was short lived as India was dealt out a 162 run thrashing from Australia just two days later.

India's second Group match against Zimbabwe unfolded high drama. Batting first, India was looking down the barrel with five wickets down for just 17 runs on board. But skipper Kapil Dev chose the occasion to lead by example and his whirlwind knock of 175 set the stage for a memorable Indian victory.

The final raised the specter of an Indian humiliation in the hands of the Goliaths of world cricket, the West Indies. Even though India had beaten West Indies in the group stage, the wise and knowledgeable of the game predicted a comprehensive win for the Indies.

Batting first, India were bundled out for 183 in the face of the hostile West Indian pace attack. However, when it came to their turn, the West Indian batsmen collapsed and ultimately fell short of the target by 43 runs. The Indian spirit was epitomized by an astonishing catch by Kapil Dev who sprinted back 20 yards to latch onto the skier from the marauding blade of the great Viv Richards.

As the news filtered through to the fans back home, it led to unprecedented scenes of jubilation throughout Delhi and Calcutta and the rest of the country.

Anil Kumble Ten Wickets Haul

Anil Kumble achieved the historic feat of grabbing all ten wickets in an innings against archrivals Pakistan at Delhi's Ferozeshah Kotla Stadium. India went into the match already 1-0 down in the two match series, eager to avenge the narrow 12-run defeat by Pakistan in Chennai a week previously.

Having won the toss and electing to bat, India found the off-spin of Saqlain Mustaq too hot to handle and were all out for 252 early on day two. With the pitch providing generous assistance to spinners, Kumble and Harbhajan Singh bowled out Pakistan for a measly 172.

Early into day four, India were all out for 339 in their second innings and set Pakistan a target of 420 runs. Post-lunch, Kumble got his first success when he had Shahid Afridi caught behind by Nayan Mongia. The very next ball, Ijaz Ahmed was trapped LBW and Kumble was on a hat-trick.

As the spin wizard went about weaving his web around the hapless Pakistanis, the specter of matching Jim Laker's record started emerging. Pakistan's tail folded out to Kumble's guile and precision and when Washim Akram fell as the last man, Kumble's name made its entry into the record books alongside that of Jim Laker's.

Kumble's analysis of 10 for 74 masks the fact that he took all ten Pakistani wickets in one 21.3 over spell, conceding only 49 runs in the process

India's First Test Victory

India achieved its first ever Test victory in 1951-52 when it beat England in Madras. Having made its Test debut in 1932, India had to wait for 20 long years in the sidelines before making its mark in the big stage. In that eventful year, India also recorded its maiden series triumph against Pakistan.

In this historic match legendary batsman Vijay Hazare led the Indian contingent while his English counterpart was Donald Carr. With England sitting pretty on a 1-0 lead, the Indian team was looking to restore parity in this final Test of the five match series.

The England team won the toss and elected to bat. Thanks to an inspired bowling performance by Vinoo Mankad, the English team was bowled out for 266 with Mankad grabbing eight wickets. India replied with a mammoth total of 457, riding piggyback on fine centuries by Pankaj Roy and Polly Umrigar.

On a pitch that was breaking up and spinning, India bowled out England for a paltry 183 in the second innings, to win the Test by an innings and eight runs. Mankad and Ghulam Ahmed shared the spoils with four wickets apiece.

Even though England was missing the services of some key players, nothing can take the sheen off India's emphatic first ever Test victory.

Indian Cricket Achievements

After being granted Test status in 1932, India continued to play the role of whipping boys of cricket for another 20 years. Then in 1952, India humbled the mighty English in Madras and have never looked back since. The country's cricketing annals teem with some remarkable cricketing achievements.

The Test victory in 1952 and the maiden series triumph against Pakistan in the same year were expected to give a shot in the arm to Indian cricket. But nothing such happened and the Indian team went on a downward slide.

But the 1970s witnessed the emergence of a strong Indian side that boasted of players such as Sunil Gavaskar and the dreaded spin quartet. This group of players was responsible for the back-to-back series wins in 1971 in the West Indies and in England, under the captaincy of Ajit Wadekar.

During the 1980s, players such as Kapil Dev, Ravi Shastri and Krish Srikanth came into reckoning and India thrashed the formidable West Indians to win the World Cup in 1983.

The history of cricket

The game of cricket is the second most popular game in the world, second only to soccer. Cricket appears to have an eventful and colorful history, although the exact origins of the game are unknown. As far back as the 1300's, a mention of the game "creag" is found. However it is unclear whether this is the beginnings of modern-day cricket. The name "cricket" may have come from the word "cric". The word cric stood for the hooked staffs carried by Shepards. These may have been the first cricket bats. Cricket in its early days in England was considered a child's game, not to be played by serious adults.

In 1598 there was a written record of a game called "creckett" or "crickett". This may be the first recorded mention of the game that is played today. By 1611 cricket had become an adult game. Considered illegal and immoral, two men were arrested for playing the game rather than going to church. More and more arrests were made as the game grew in popularity.

  At the end of the English Civil War in 1648, the new government clamped down on recreational cricket that was played on Sundays. In these days cricket was played mostly by the working class and Sunday was their only opportunity to play. Interest in the sport seemed to diminish. As the years progressed, cricket once again regained popularity as a betting game. In the year 1688 the Puritan government of England was gone and the Monarchy was in power again. Cricket was favored by the government and regained some respectability. There were still huge problems in the world of cricket however. Betting and rioting marred the game. Around the year 1784 a London magistrate deemed cricket to be "respectable" even though there were still problems with wagering.

Finally in the year 1788 the "Laws of Cricket" were born. The Laws were written by the Marylebone Cricket Club. Except for some minor revisions, these laws are still adhered to in present day cricket. One notable change was in 1864 when over arm bowling was first used legally. Cricket is the only sport today that has laws instead of rules. Gaining even more respectability in the late 1700s, cricket became the game of "gentlemen". The Laws of Cricket were used for play in England and the Eastern United States. These laws covered the length of the pitch, the distance from the pitching crease to the bowling crease, wicket size, and ball weight.

The cricket fields were leveled and manicured in the 1800's. Up until this time the fields were rough and bumpy. South Africa and Australia began to play cricket seriously during this time. In the year 1844 the first international game of cricket was played in the state of New York in the United States. This match was played between the United States and Canada. Later, in 1877, England traveled to Australia for the first international test match. The match was played in Melbourne Australia. The Australians won the match by 45 runs.

A few years later in 1882, Australia again beat England. It was a close match with Australia winning by 8 runs. This prompted an English writer to publish an obituary for English cricket. The obituary pronounced it "dead". It went on to say that the body would be cremated and that the ashes would be spread over Australia. The next summer England played another series against Australia. This was dubbed by the press as an English endeavor to "reclaim the ashes". A small trophy filled with ashes was made and given to the British Captain. To this day, all test matches between England and Australia are said to be played "for the ashes".

In the year 1900 cricket made its first and only appearance in the Olympics. The match was between France and Britain. Most of the French players came from the British Embassy in France, so mostly British players played the match. Britain won the match and the gold medal. Today there is a renewed interest in cricket becoming an Olympic game.

The ICC was formed in 1909. The Imperial Cricket Conference was formed to govern the laws of cricket. The ICC is known today as the International Cricket Conference. The founding countries of the ICC were England, South Africa, and Australia.

The years 1932 and 1933 saw the laws of cricket being tightened. English players were throwing short-pitched balls at the Australian batters in an attempt at intimidation. England won this series, but ill feelings still exist between Australian and English players because of this series.

In the 1960's some English teams began playing a shortened version of cricket that allowed a match to be completed in only one day. Up until this time the average cricket match could last up to five days. Some fans and players felt this shortened form of cricket to be an insult to the game, so it was not widely accepted by traditional cricket fans. The first one-day international match was played in Melbourne, Australia in 1971. This match prompted the ICC to organize the "Cricket World Cup" to be played every four years. These matches are strictly one-day matches.

In 1981 the ICC banned underarm bowling as a result of a match between New Zealand and Australia. Australian captain Greg Chappell ordered his brother Trevor to use the underarm bowling technique to stop New Zealand from winning a match. Greg's actions angered many in the cricketing community prompting the change.

Today cricket remains a well-loved sport. Some young men in Australia and England grow up hoping to one day "play for the ashes". It is a sport steeped in tradition and its fans are loyal. Although the history of cricket was rocky at times, it's a solid sport that will be around for years to come.