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Before 1983 WC win, it was only hockey India were masters at: Mohinder Amarnath

CricketBefore 1983 WC win, it was only hockey India were masters at: Mohinder Amarnath
Kapil Dev with World Cup 1983 Trophy.

Stressing on the role played by Kapil Dev’s boys in lifting the game of Cricket in India and the importance of Indian winning 1983 Cricket World Cup, former India all-rounder Mohinder Amarnath has said that the win changed dynamics of sport in India.

Amarnath, who was named Man of the Match in the final against West Indies for his three wickets and 26 runs, pointed out how winning the Prudential World Cup changed the fact that Indian cricket had not done anything significant in the years before it.

“The 1983 victory was crucial in a way because before that we had hardly achieved anything great at the international level and that team should get credit for laying the platform for Indian cricket which gave the feeling of self-confidence that we can achieve something at the international level,” Amarnath told Times of India.

“It’s not that we didn’t play good cricket earlier, but somehow we didn’t have any achievement to show. Before this, it was only hockey that we were masters at, but after the 1983 World Cup victory, all parents wanted their kids to play cricket, represent India and become a World champion. All the changes that are seen in Indian cricket today started after the 1983 World Cup win.”

India had performed miserably in the previous two editions of the World Cup. Across the 1975 and 1979 World Cups, India had won just one match out of six combined. Reasons were plenty – lack of plans and strategies and the fact that the team was still coming to grips with playing a 60-over format. Of the many things that changed in 1983, Amarnath asserts, was the understanding among players.

“We all were young at that time and we kept on playing as a team right through the World Cup. To win a cup or a trophy, team effort is very important. Every player performed according to the situation and demand and it is only then a unit is made. No player can achieve anything alone till others also contribute,” the former all-rounder said.

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