“A shock result that shattered the serenity of world cricket...” At first glance, this line in the opening sequence of a documentary seems...
“A shock result that shattered the serenity of world cricket...”
At first glance, this line in the opening sequence of a documentary seems to be just a backhanded compliment for India’s cricket world cup triumph in 1983. Almost as if the Indian team did something bad that they were not supposed to do. How could they shatter the serene world of cricket where things, more often than not, played to the script till then? How DARE they.
But, read it again, and it makes more sense. That Indian team led by Kapil Dev indeed had no business becoming World Cup semi-finalists or finalists, let alone win the whole thing. That Indian team led by Kapil Dev faced odds of 66/1 to win the World Cup. That Indian team led by Kapil Dev were coming into the 1983 tournament as rank outsiders because their predecessors had poor outings in 1975 and 1979, including a defeat to unheralded Sri Lanka. That Indian team led by Kapil Dev had the weight of previous teams massively under-performing in England historically: in all formats, India had played 42 times in England and won twice (a Test against England, an ODI against East Africa).
Kapil’s Devils dared to do the impossible.
It was...
