Roger Binny was India’s leading wicket-taker in the 1983 World Cup.© Twitter
On Sunday, June 25, India celebrated the 40th anniversary of its maiden ICC Cricket World Cup triumph. On the same day in 1983, India defeated two-time defending champions West Indies to win the third edition of the World Cup, known as the Prudential Cup back then. In the final, India managed to defend a low total of 183 against a star-studded West Indian side, featuring the likes of Sir Clive Lloyd, Vivian Richards and others. However, the most important factor behind India’s triumph was the fact that they beat West Indies not once, but twice during the tournament.
According to BCCI President Roger Binny, who was part of the World Cup-winning squad, the win over West Indies in their final group game was the deciding factor of their campaign.
“It’s been 40 years since we played in that World Cup, but it does not seem like that. Everything is still so fresh in my mind. I can pinpoint a lot of things that happened back then. The greatest moment in the tournament was the turnaround in the group league game against the West Indies in Manchester. That’s where it all started,” Binny told Sportstar.
Binny, who was India’s leading wicket-taker in the tournament, futher revealed that the win over West Indies in Manchester made the team realise that they could go all the way.
“Till then, we were not living up to our potential. That day, after we beat the West Indies, we realised we could go far. That was the most important day, besides the final on June 25, where we defeated the West Indies again,” he added.
India won their second 50-over World Cup title in 2011 after they defeated Sri Lanka on home soil. Later this year, the tournament will be once again held in India.
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