India WC : 40th World Championship | leader

1983 : First World Championship

25th June and Lord’s is a date and place that holds an inestimable significance in the history of Indian cricket. On June 25, 1932, Colonel C. K. The cradle of Test cricket in India was shaken when Naidu’s team took the field against Douglas Jardine’s team at Lord’s. After 51 years, we became world champions on this ground. In the one-day cricket that started in 1971, no one was paying attention to India. India had not won a match in the 1975 World Cup except against East Africa. In 1979, newcomers Sri Lanka also beat us in Manchester. Then the 1983 World Cup was a goodwill tour for Indian cricket. After playing as many league matches as there are, most of the team members had also booked their tickets to travel to America, but this is where new history was made. Captain Kapil Dev lifted the World Cup at Lord’s exactly 40 years ago today, June 25, and made India the first world champion with his tenacity and winning attitude. Even after forty years, the thrill of that World Cup is still the same. (India WC)

India is now seen as a possible winner, but in 1983 no one would have dared to say so. There was a simple calculation that either West Indies will score a hat-trick or England – Australia will become world champions, but the world did not know Kapil Dev at that time. Kapildev was basically a fighter. It was Kapil Dev’s fighting spirit as a captain that helped India win the World Cup in 1983. Kapil won matches by taking his game to the highest level when needed. When Bhagirath needed an effort to pull the team back from 17 for 5 against Zimbabwe, he scored an unbeaten 175 to take India to 266. The Zimbabwean team was heartbroken there. What remained on the field was formality. Sometimes with batting and sometimes with fielding, he brought the wandering India back to victory. In that final match, Richards’ catch on a run-back off Madanlal’s normal delivery proved to be the turning point of the match. (India WC)

2011 : Second World Championship

What the 1983 World Cup did was teach us to dream big. We have gone into every World Cup since then as potential winners. We played with the same confidence and renewed quality, but the world title kept eluding us. Cricket in India was no longer confined to the big cities, but from the corners of Kerala to Uttar Pradesh or Ranchi to Gujarat, quality started shining on the Indian cricket scene. In this, India got Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Dhoni built the 2011 team from 2008 onwards. While doing so, he faced criticism for abandoning the legendary organization in Indian cricket, but the team he built again won the World Cup in 2011. As a captain, Dhoni’s role in strategy, team selection and single-handedly turning the game around when needed was instrumental in becoming a world champion. Be it Kapil Dev or Dhoni, the captain played a vital role in both our World Cup triumphs.

2023 : ???

This year, before Diwali, we will have World Cup fireworks. It’s only been four months, but where is the formation of our team yet to be seen? If we look at the team selected for the tour of West Indies as a possible World Cup squad, Rohit Sharma, Gill and Gaikwad are our opening options. Given Rohit Sharma’s current form, fitness and age, Gill and Gaikwad could be viable options, but what about the captain? Kohli, Jadeja, Surya and vice-captain Pandya will man the middle order. Suryakumar Yadav’s performance in the recent past has not been very good. Ishan Kishan will be preferred over Sanju Samson as a wicket keeper. There is a tendency to keep Shami until the World Cup. There are reports of Bumrah getting fit but will it be possible to complete his rehabilitation, match practice all in these four months? Other options are Siraj, Unadkat, Mukesh Kumar, Shardul Thakur and Umran Malik. In fact, there is no match winner bowler except Siraj. Ashwin, Chahal, Kuldeep, Akshar will be the focus as the World Cup is in India. As an all-rounder, Akshar Patel is a match when it comes to the remaining three. Which team and which captain is in front of the team management’s eyes to win the World Cup in these players dive? The order to arrange the wedding has been given, but our management is still researching the bride.

As the first World Cup title reaches 40 today, let’s hope this World Cup winner’s day sees us use the lens of 40 to see the correct team selection and captain’s eye tactics!

– Nimish Patgaonkar

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