"Thought we had no chance of winning after being bowled out for 183": Kris Srikkanth on 1983 WC Final

Former India batsman Kris Srikkanth revealed that no one in the Indian team had the belief that they could win the World Cup after they were bowled out by the West Indies for just 183.

India had beaten West Indies in the league phase but this was a final and having won the previous two World Cups, the men from the Caribbean knew how to approach big matches.

But an inspired pep talk by skipper Kapil Dev spurred the Indian bowling attack as they skittled the defending champions for just 140, winning the game by 43 runs and changing the landscape of Indian cricket forever.

"With the batting line-up that West Indian had and looking at 183, we thought we had no scope at all.But Kapil Dev said one thing and he didn't say we can win but he said - look guys we have got out for 183 and we should give resistance and not give away the match so easily," Srikkanth said on 'Star Sports 1 Tamil show Winning the Cup - 1983'.

We did not feel much pressure: Kris Srikkanth

One of the iconic moments of the final was Kapil Dev running towards the boundary to take a fantastic catch to dismiss Sir Vivian Richards, which changed the course of the chase.

Kris Srikkanth also revealed that they felt no pressure as they were the underdogs in the tournament. Kris Srikkanth added that the fact that the board office bearers had announced a bonus of ₹25,000 for them for reaching the final irrespective of whether they win the final or not further took the pressure off them.

"On the eve of the finals there were all the top officials from the board, the joint secretary and everyone and there was a small meeting. They said don't worry about the finals tomorrow, you've come so far that's itself fantastic. And whether tomorrow you win the match or not, they announced a 25,000 rupees bonus for all of us. We did not feel that much pressure. Because favorites were West Indies, they were 1975 & 1979 champions, dominating world cricket, so we thought it was a big deal making it to the finals itself," Kris Srikkanth asserted.