History of Indian cricket - 1980s
The 1980s proved to be a decade where Indian cricket managed to make its presence felt. The incredible win in the World Cup of 1983 where India beat the mighty West Indies, India’s victory in the Benson and Hedges World Championship of Cricket in Australia and the World Cup being hosted on subcontinent soil were high points that left its mark on Indian cricket.
India triumph against Australia – 1981
Attributed to the efforts of Viswanath and an injured Kapil Dev, the Indians were able to garrote a full strength Australian side. The Indians were bowled out for a mere 237 runs in the first innings of the third Test at Melbourne despite 114 from Viswanath. Dennis Lillie was the main destroyer with four Indian scalps to his name.
The Aussies amassed 419 runs in the first innings with a well-crafted century by Border. In reply, the Indians managed to score 324 in their second innings with Chauhan making 85 and Gavaskar 70.
The Aussies were bowled out for a mere 83, which was by far their lowest score. Kapil, who had to take painkiller injections before the start of the match, bowled for 16 overs on the trot and returned with match winning figures of 5 for 28.
This win against the Aussies saw the Indians register their first Test win in Australia. The series was drawn with a score of 1-1.
Indians topple West Indies at Berbice – 1983
India’s first ever victory against the West Indies in ODIs came on 30th March 1983. The signs of India being capable of overpowering the very best in the business were evident with this win. Kapil’s knock of 72 off 38 balls and Gavaskar’s splendid 90 were largely responsible for this win.
World Cup Win – 1983
After being branded as a team, which could not perform in the World Cups, the Indians had no end to their woes after they were grouped with the reigning champions West Indies, Australia and Zimbabwe.
India’s opening match against the Windies left all stunned where the Indian’s sprung up a surprise 34 run win. The credit of this victory went to Yashpal Sharma who scored a marvelous 89 under testing circumstances.
One of the main highlights of India’s run to victory in the 1983 World Cup was the win against Zimbabwe. After starting off in a miserable fashion with a score line that spelt 17 for 5, Kapil Dev came to the rescue of the team by slamming 175 runs which involved a partnership of 126 runs for the 9th wicket with Syed Kirmani. India eventually won the game by 31 runs.
The finals of the World Cup turned out to be quite contradictory to what had been predicted. It seemed that God himself wrote a script of an Indian victory, which defied reason. After bowling India out for a dismal 183, the West Indians were cruising to victory, when the dreaded collapse happened.
The Windies were blown away by the Indian bowlers for a mere 140, falling short of the target by 43 runs. The day belonged to the two Indians namely Mohinder Amarnath who scored a vital 26 along with claiming 3 wickets, and Kris Srikkanth who top scored with 38, which basically outlined the win for India.
Benson and Hedges Cup – 1985
The team under Sunil Gavaskar was much under scrutiny after a dismal performance againt the West Indies and England. However, what unfolded in Australia in the year 1985 was nothing short of a miracle.
The Indians had an unbeaten run in the Benson and Hedges Cup and beat Pakistan by 8 wickets in the finals. The Indians were successful in bowling out every other opposition in the tournament except the Pakistanis in the finals who were down to 176 for 9 in the finals. In the words of Sunil Gavaskar he could not have asked for a better gift in his last year as captain.
This incredible victory was intrumental in the continuation of the live telecast of all cricket matches in which the Indians participated. This was a major decision taken by the Information and Broadcast Ministry that virtually transformed India’s media industry.
Win against Pakistan – 1985
In one of the best one day internationals that was ever played, India beat Pakistan on 22nd March 1985 at Sharjah- the first neutral venue in world cricket.
There was a large Indian as well as a Pakistani contingent as the two cricketing giants of the subcontinent were at loggerheads. India was bowled out for a meagre 125. This proved to be enough as the Pakistani line-up was rounded up for just 87.
World Cup in India – 1987 India along with Pakistan played host to the World Cup in 1987. It was the first World Cup to be hosted outside England. India was grouped with New Zealand, Australia and Zimbabwe. It was the first time that a 50 over pattern was followed in a World Cup.
India started off in admirable fashion registering five victories and only one loss. The one run-one ball defeat against the Australians was the only loss that came India’s way. Navjot Singh Sidhu played a vital role with the bat by big scores to his name and rescuing his team in crunch situations.
India’s grand run to the semi-finals ended abruptly when the Indians fell short of chasing a 254 run target set by the English. The Indians lost by a margin of 35 runs with 5 overs still left in the game.
Hirwani’s spectacular record - 1987
Narendra Hirwani`s career started off with a bang but ended with a mere whimper. On his debut match in the final Test of the series against West Indies at Chepauk in 1987, the Indians ammased a big first innings total. Hirwani claimed 8 for 61 in the first innings.
He came up with figures of 8 for 75 in the second taking his total tally in the match to 16 for 136. This equalled the record set by Bob Massie who had claimed 16 for 137 on his debut in 1972.
Gavaskar retires – 1987
Gavaskar was said to have played in an era where Test cricket was at its peak. It was famously spoken of Gavaskar that he played the game of cricket as if he were an Englishman, born and brought up in the home of cricket. His disposition as a batsman along with technical excellence turned him from the legend that he was to the God that he became.
Sachin’s debut – 1989
With Gavaskar gone, India was in desperate search for another master batsman who could hold the fort when the chips were down. In walked Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar to battle it out against the much feared Pakistani pace attack. All of 16 years, he became the youngest player to don the Test Cap for India.
Though he was able to score only 15 runs in his first innings at Karachi, he followed it up with a masterful 59 runs in the first innings of the second Test at Faisalabad. What caught the attention of those who watched him play then was the resolve with which this young man faced a tough opposition.
He went about his task unfazed, without batting an eyelid, facing a flurry of bouncers and abuses – not necessarily in the same order. This marked the entry of a batsman who would go to rewrite the record books time and again, who would stay untouched by the innumerable controversies surrounding Indian cricket and who would earn the distinction of portraying similarities to the great Sir Donald Bradman himself.
