3 defining moments for India in their victorious 1983 World Cup campaign

#2 Kapil Dev's death-defying 175 against Zimbabwe

Kapil Dev during his stupendous 175 against Zimbabwe.

Much has been talked and written about how Kapil Dev's team managed to defy the 66-1 odds that were stacked against them in the 1983 World Cup finals against the mighty West Indies.

But if you dig deep into that World Cup, India wouldn't have been there in the first place had it not for their captain's swashbuckling counter-attack in a league match against Zimbabwe. Tunbridge Wells was a relatively small ground, but it was packed to the core that day when India took on Zimbabwe.

Batting first, Peter Rawson and Kevin Curran bowled like a dream, moving the ball sharply off the seam, and reduced India to 5-17 with the likes of Gavaskar (0), Srikkanth (0), Amarnath (5) and Sandeep Patil (1) all back in the hut.

Dev formed a 60 run partnership with Roger Binny (22), but at 6-77, India still looked on tenterhooks, with Dev having the bowlers for a company.

Dev took full advantage of the short boundary and some insipid captaincy by Duncan Fletcher who took off Rawson and Curran from the attack and instead brought himself to the attack.

This enabled Dev to settle in his innings as he unleashed a breathtaking assault on the Zimbabwean bowlers.

Dev en-route to 175 not out, that included 16 fours and six sixes, Dev formed an unbeaten 126-run-partnership with Kirmani, a record that still exits for the ninth-wicket-partnership. Kapil's 175 ensured India reached a respectable 8-266 in 60 overs to set-up a 31-run win for the Indians.

It is a pity that probably one of the greatest innings ODI innings ever played considering the situation, it came in, was not broadcasted thanks to a strike from BBC.