3 splendid batting efforts that changed the course of Indian cricket

#2. Kapil Dev's 175 not out against Zimbabwe in the 1983 World Cup

Kapil Dev India 175 not out V Zimbabwe 1983 Cricket World Cup

India chose to bat against Zimbabwe in the 1983 World Cup match. The top order consisting of players like Sunil Gavaskar, K Srikkanth, Mohinder Amarnath and Sandeep Patil were dismissed early with the scoreboard reading 17/5.

Kapil Dev walked in his usual nonchalant style and took the crease. Along with Roger Binny, he took the score to 77 when Binny fell to John Traicos. Dev batted cautiously and took no risk all along. Ravi Shastri joined him, but he also got out soon.

India were in a troublesome situation at 78/7. At this juncture, Madan Lal joined hands with Kapil Dev and bailed India out of the trouble. Kapil Dev got into an aggressive mode and started hitting the bowlers all around the stadium. The pair took the score to 140 when Lal fell to Kevin Curran.

Syed Kirmani joined Kapil giving sufficient strike to his captain. He continued with his assault, taking India to a respectable total of 266/8 in 60 overs. Dev remained unbeaten on 175 off 138 balls which comprised 16 boundaries and six maximums.

India bowled out Zimbabwe for 235 and won the match. Subsequently, they won the 1983 World Cup also. This inning of Dev taught the Indian players about grit and determination. It inculcated a never-say-die attitude which became the backbone of Indian batting in the 1990s and afterwards.