The year was 1983, the venue was England’s Nevill Ground where India took on Zimbabwe in a must win clash, and the team from Asia were tottering at 17/5 before a certain Kapil Dev came out to bat.

The young Indian captain then went on to play an innings that imbibed a generation towards the gentleman’s game back home, an innings that stands the test of time and got over a billion people dreaming of the unthinkable over a fortnight earlier, that is winning the World Cup.

On a day when the television broadcasters in the United Kingdom were on strike and decided to not show the game, the stories and memoirs of those fortunate few who were at the stadium travelled far and wide, galvanising a new era of Indian cricketers with a zeal to win.

From 17/5, India managed to set a target of 267 with Kapil Dev scoring 175 of those runs without conceding his wicket. In an era where hitting over the in field and playing your shots was considered the greatest abomination and strike rates over 60 were the norm, the Indian all-rounder scored his runs in just 138 balls. He got 16 fours and six sixes in that innings as India snatched victory from the jaws of defeat to set up a semi-final clash with England.

Despite almost nobody watching that game, Kapil Dev’s knock remains one of the best innings ever played at a World Cup game, if not the best.

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Feature image courtesy: AFP Photo/ Greg Wood

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