Former allrounder of the Indian cricket team, Roger Binny praised former Indian skipper Kapil Dev and opener Sunil Gavaskar for uplifting their confidence in the dressing room after they scored a below-par score of 183 against the mighty West Indies in the 1983 World Cup final. Roger Binny never thought India will win the World Cup as they were the underdogs going into the tournament. Binny was the leading wicket-taker of the tournament with 18 wickets from 8 matches.
Team India were the underdogs going into the tournament. No other team in world cricket had thought that India might actually go on to win it. The West Indies were the most formidable contenders to win the trophy. However, the India National Cricket Team, beating all odds, capitalized on the opportunities and brought laurels to the nation.
India Fielded Exceptionally Well In The Final: Roger Binny
The leading wicket-taker of the 1983 world cup, Roger Binny, recalled the fact that their fielding were excellent during the semifinal against England and the win over the hosts improved their morale going into the final against two-time world champion the mighty West Indies.
“I really didn’t think I’d take 18 wickets or that we’d win the World Cup. For me, it was a comeback and there’s no better place for me than England. It all started with a game against West Indies – that was the first time they had lost a game in a World Cup. Beating them lifted the spirit of the team,” Binny told Sportskeeda in a Facebook live interview.
Roger Binny. (Photo Source: Twitter)
“We didn’t have very good fielders but if you saw them fielding! Not many runs were scored by Sunil but he was a real asset in the field. We crushed England, who were tipped by their press to crush us. They said ‘India is just another team’. After that game we started to believe in ourselves,” Binny said.
Kapil Dev Charged The Team Up: Roger Binny
Indian team failed to keep up the momentum during batting in the final and were eventually bowled out for only 183, which looked an easily achievable target for the Windies.
“Suddenly, Kapil Dev’s voice came on and he said, ‘Forget it, let’s go and bowl them out’. His words and Sunil’s words raised the tempo in the dressing room. A small score makes you fight harder. If we had scored 270, maybe they would’ve crushed us,” Roger Binny further added.
“It was one of the most disappointing mornings for us, we were looking to post 220+. 240 was a winning score but when we got out for 183, we couldn’t believe it. We had to wait for 40 minutes for the overs we didn’t play, sitting in the dressing room and brooding. Nobody was talking,” Binny said.
Despite the fact that the likes of Malcolm Marshall, Michael Holding and Sir Andy Roberts were exceptional during the first half, India came back strongly to win their maiden world cup title as the underdogs. 28 years later, MS Dhoni-led India to their second world cup win in 2011.