INDIA AT THE CRICKET WORLD CUP - 5 - ANSWERS

 

1. C. Krishnamachari Srikkanth

 

(BBC TV's Peter West with the two captains - Clive Lloyd and Kapil Dev before the toss)

The 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. The team 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) and faced odds of 66/1 to win the World Cup.

 

It was a shock result, indeed, that they beat the mighty West Indies at the Lord’s on 25 June, 1983. It shattered the established world order and put India on the path to the global behemoth they are in the game today.

(The imposing Joel Garner bowling in the 1983 World Cup final.  Garner had taken 5 for 38 in the 1979 final - against India he took 1 for 24 off 12 overs)

(K Srikkanth scored an aggressive 38, 7 fours and a six) 

After defeating England by 6 wickets in the first semi-finals, India faced the fiery Caribbean on the fateful day. This was also the first appearance by an Asian nation in a World Cup final. After losing the toss, India were asked to bat first against a West Indies team that arguably boasted the world's best bowling attack. Gavaskar, who had an unsuccessful tournament was the first batsman got dismissed for 2. But K Srikkanth and M Amarnath had a good partnership taking India past the 50 mark. Soon Srikkanth lost his wicket for an aggressive 38, the top-scorer for India, to Marshall. Amarnath (26) and Sandeep Patil (27) gave some impetus to the crumbling Indian innings which folded for a modest 183.

 

(Celebrations as Gordon Greenidge is bowled for 1 offering no stroke to Balwinder Sandhu)

(The turning point of the final was Kapil Dev's running catch dismiss Viv Richards. West Indies, cruising at 50 for 1 at the time, slumped to 76 for 6 and never recovered)

Chasing the target of 184 to win their third World cup in a row, West Indies were surprised by Balwinder Sandhu as he famously clean bowled Gordon Greenidge with a huge inswinger to which the batsman had shouldered arms. Soon West Indies crossed 50 with Desmond Haynes and Viv Richards batting smoothly but both were dismissed by Madan Lal, with the latter to a astonishing "running to the back" catch by skipper Kapil Dev who had deployed himself at short mid-wicket.

 

(The final nail on the Windies Coffin - Michael Holding lbw Mohinder Amarnath for 6)

(Joel Garner and Michael Holding trudge off as behind them jubilant India fans invade the pitch after India won the 1983 World Cup final at Lord's)

A fine spell of bowling by Mohinder Amarnath (3/12) well supported other Indian bowlers saw the defending champions fell to 124/8. Soon Kapil Dev trapped Andy Roberts in front of the wicket and Amarnath clean bowled Michael Holding dismissing West indies for 140 in 52 overs, helping India to lift their maiden Cricket World cup.

2. A. Sunil Gavaskar

 

Despite representing India in 4 World Cups (1975-1987), Sunil Gavaskar, one of the greatest batsmen in the history of the game, never led India in a World Cup match. Gavaskar was captain of the Indian team on several occasions in the late 1970s and early 1980s, although his record was less than impressive. Turbulent performances of the team under his leadership led to multiple exchanges of captaincy between Gavaskar and Kapil Dev, with one of Gavaskar's sackings coming just six months before Kapil led India to victory at the 1983 Cricket World Cup.

 

Below is a pictorial presentation of players who led India in different editions of World Cup.

In the latest edition of the World Cup in 2019, Team India was again led by Mahendra Singh Dhoni who equaled the feat of Mohammad Azharuddin in leading India in 3 World Cups (1992, 1996 and 1999).

3. A. Mohammed Shami

 

In its 5th fixture in the 2019 World Cup, against Afghanistan at Rose Bowl, Southampton, Mohammed Shami replaced Bhuvneshwar Kumar who was injured during India's victory over Pakistan in its last match.

 

Chasing a modest target of 225, Afghanistan were on the verge of pulling off an incredible triumph when they required 16 to win in the last over with three wickets in hand. Up to the challenge, Shami produced a brilliant final over scripting a thrilling win for his team.

 

After being hit for a boundary off the 1st ball, Shami started firing yorkers and dismissed the well-set Mohammad Nabi for 52, getting him caught at long-on by Hardik Pandya. Over the next two balls, Shami unleashed 2 lethal yorkers which crashed into the stumps of Aftab Alam and Mujeeb ur Rahman respectively to bring a swift end to Afghanistan's pursuit and became only the second Indian (10th overall) after Chetan Sharma (1987 WC) to take a hat-trick in World Cup.

 

Below is the list of bowlers who have taken hat-tricks in World Cup till date.

4. B. Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney

 

Though both India and Pakistan have been participating in the World Cup since its first edition in 1975, the arch-rivals played against each other for the first time only in the 1992 edition at Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney on 4th March, 1992 which India won by 89 runs.

 

Since then India has played against Pakistan in each edition of World Cup (except the 2007 edition) and has won each time.

 

Below a brief history of the rivalry between the two neighboring countries in World Cup:

5. B. Debashish Mohanty

 

Since the 1996 World Cup logo featured a batsman, it was decided to design the logo of the 1999 World Cup on a bowler. Indian pace bowler Debashish Mohanty who had an unusual action was used as the official inspiration for the design. Debashish Mohanty who played for India in 2 Tests and 45 ODIs (took 57 wickets) between 1997 and 2001, was himself a last-minute inclusion in the Indian Squad for the 1999 World Cup.

 

At 1999 Cricket World Cup, Mohanty was the second highest Indian wicket taker despite playing four games fewer than the leading Indian wicket taker – Javagal Srinath. He even climbed into the top 20 of the ICC ODI World Rankings. However, with the return of Ajit Agarkar, his opportunities dwindled and he played only another seven games after the 1999 World Cup. Mohanty, who represented Odisha in Ranji Trophy, was instrumental in winning the Sahara Cup series against Pakistan in Toronto in 1997.

INDIA AT THE CRICKET WORLD CUP - 5

Q1. Who top-scored for India in the Final Match of the 1983 World Cup against West Indies?

A. Mohinder Amarnath

B. Sandeep Patil

C. Krishnamachari Srikkanth

Q2. Who among the following has never led India in a World Cup match?

A. Sunil Gavaskar

B. Rahul Dravid

C. Srinivasaraghavan Venkataraghavan

Q3. Who became the second Indian after Chetan Sharma to take a hat-trick in World Cup in the most recent 2019 edition?

A. Mohammed Shami

B. Kuldeep Yadav

C. Jasprit Bumrah

Q4. Name this venue where arch-rivals India and Pakistan played each other for the first time in World Cup?

A. Green Park, Kanpur

B. Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney

C. Lord's Cricket Ground, London

Q5. The bowling action of which player was used by ICC in the Official logo of 1999 World Cup (pic below)?

A. Venkatesh Prasad

B. Debashish Mohanty

C. Salil Ankola

INDIA AT THE CRICKET WORLD CUP - 4 - ANSWERS

 1. A. Glenn Turner

India's victorious campaign in the 1983 World Cup in England wouldn't have been possible had Kapil Dev not rescued his side from the jaws of defeat in their fifth match of the 60-over showpiece event against Zimbabwe at Nevill Ground, Tunbridge Wells on June 18, 1983. Walking in to bat at 9/4, not long after winning the toss for his side, Kapil had a massive rebuilding job on his hands. Sunil Gavaskar, Kris Srikkanth, Mohinder Amarnath, Sandeep Patil were back in the hut. Soon after Kapil’s arrival, Yashpal Sharma was dismissed and out walked Roger Binny at 17/5.

 

 

The first part of the resurrection was on as the two allrounders put on a partnership of 60 runs for the sixth wicket. Then, two more wickets lost in quick succession, followed by another little partnership with Madan Lal. And, when Syed Kirmani walked in at No 9 after departure of Madal Lal at 140, little did anyone could have known what was to follow.

 

Kapil's 126-run partnership with Syed Kirmani saw the crowd running for cover under the barrage of sixes. Of the 126 runs, Kirmani scored 24 runs and remained not-out. Kapil Dev, meanwhile, scored 175 (became the first Indian to score a century in ODIs) of the teams 266 runs, which, among a whole host of fantastic strokes, also saw the famous ‘Natraj’ shot. In response, Zimbabwe bundled out for 235 with fine spells from Lal (3/42) and Binny (2/45) despite resistance from Kevin Curran (father of the trio Tom, Ben and Sam Curran) (73) in the lower order.

 

(Kapil Dev receives the Man of the Match award from Mike Denness for his unbeaten 175)

(Highest ODI score: World record progression)

(Glenn Turner)

In course of his mammoth innings of 175* (16 fours, six sixes), Kapil broke the record of highest individual score in World Cup (also in ODIs) of Glenn Turner of New Zealand who had scored 171* against East Africa in 1975 World Cup. Unfortunately, the epic innings was watched only by those present at the ground on the day and never after, because it was not telecast. The BBC crew, as Indian fans have come to rue for decades now, had four matches to cover but only two channels to show them. They showed two (England v Pakistan and Australia v West Indies) but India vs Zimbabwe and New Zealand vs Sri Lanka didn’t strike anyone as being very important.

2. B. 1992

 

India has qualified for the Semifinals or further on seven occasions (1983 - Champions, 1987 - Semifinals, 1996 - Semifinals, 2003 - Runners-up, 2011 - Champions, 2015 - Semifinals and 2019 - Semifinals) out of the total 12 editions of the Cricket World Cup.

 

(1992 was Kapil Dev's last World Cup)

 

In 1992 World Cup held in Australia and New Zealand, India crashed out of the Tournament with only 2 wins out of the 8 matches in the Group Stage (Round Robin Stage).

 

3. B. Ram Babu Gupta

 

The 1987 World Cup, the first edition of the Cricket World Cup to be held in Indian Subcontinent (in India and Pakistan — the first held outside England) had its final match held in Eden Gardens, Calcutta on Sunday, 8th November, 1987 between Australia and England. In a thrilling contest before a packed 90000-odd audience, England were almost on target (254), before captain Mike Gatting (41 from 45 balls) handed back the initiative with the loss of his wicket to an attempted reverse sweep off the occasional off-spin bowling of Allan Border, a jolt from which his team never recovered and  Australia won by 7 runs to lift their first ever World Cup trophy.

The final also saw Ram Babu Gupta, an Indian umpire adjudicating a World Cup final for the very first time along with Mahboob Shah of Pakistan (also the first umpire from Pakistan to achieve the feat). Gupta stood in 11 Test matches between 1986 and 1988 and 24 ODI games between 1985 and 1990.

 

Gupta also officiated in the famous Chepauk Test in 1988 when legspinner Narendra Hirwani took 16 wickets against West Indies on his debut. Gupta's last international appearance was in a one-dayer in Sharjah in May 1990.

4. A. Stumpy

 

("Googly")

The tradition of having a mascot in ICC World Cup started back in 1996 World Cup with the first mascot called "Googly", a red (though the tournament used white cricket ball) cricket ball with legs and arms, dressed in a helmet, gloves and green pads.

 

("Willow")

The 1999 World Cup saw “Willow”, a white ball with hat on, as its mascot.

 

("Dazzler")

"Dazzler", the mascot of the 2003 World Cup, was one of the most loved mascots in ICC World cups. "Dazzler", a cricket playing zebra, wearing green pads, gloves and a red shirt symbolizing wild life in South Africa had black and white stripes depicting the blend of black and white people in South Africa.

 

("Mello")

"Mello", the mascot of the 2007 World Cup in West Indies was among the most interesting mascots. "Mello", an orange raccoon with a huge bat, stood with legs crossed and tossing a white ball. He was wearing casual Caribbean clothing and had a red ribbon on his light blue shirt to show his support to the spreading HIV epidemic.

 

("Stumpy")

(An elephant holds a bat which reads ‘Stumpy’, the name of the Cricket World Cup 2011 mascot, during the mascot launch for the 2011 Cricket World Cup in Colombo on 2nd August, 2010.)

For the 2011 World Cup held in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh,  the mascot, an elephant, was named "Stumpy" after an online selection process that drew proposals from thousands of cricket fans around the world. With 200 days to go before the start of the World Cup 2011, the event mascot’s name was unveiled in a simple ceremony at P Saravanamuttu Stadium in Colombo on 2nd August, 2010 ahead of the third Test between Sri Lanka and India. Incidentally in the 1982 Asian Games, hosted by India, another baby elephant, 'Appu' was chosen as the mascot.

("Stumpy" during the 2011 World Cup Final)

But for the next two editions of the World Cup, Australia and New Zealand in 2015 and England in 2019 have opted against following the trend of having a mascot for the Tournament, preferring to use other methods to engage their younger fans.

5. C. Zimbabwe

 

India went to the 2007 World Cup in West Indies with what was considered a decent World Cup squad, as they had three batsmen who had scored more than 10,000 ODI runs (Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid), world class spin bowlers (Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble), destructive batsmen (Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, Robin Uthappa and Mahendra Singh Dhoni), and a decent pace bowling attack led by Zaheer Khan.

 

The format of the 2007 World Cup was different from the previous editions - Teams were divided into groups of 4, with the top two teams from each group moving on to the Super Eight stage, where each team would play each other in a round-robin format. In the Group stage, India were placed in Group B, pitted against Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and World Cup debutants Bermuda. All of India's Group matches were played at the Queen's Park Oval in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.

 

India's World Cup campaign started disastrously, as they unexpectedly lost to minnows Bangladesh in their opening match, leaving them with two must-win matches in their group. India next scored 413/5 against Bermuda, the highest team total in a World Cup game winning the lopsided game by 257 runs. But they still needed to beat Sri Lanka in their last group match in order to enter the Super Eight stage.

 

The match against Sri Lanka on 23 March 2007 turned out to be a one-sided contest. Chasing 255, the Indian batting crumbled against the Sri Lankan bowling attack with off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan and pace bowler Chaminda Vaas taking 2/39 and 3/41 respectively, crashing to 185 all out in the 44th over. Only Dravid (60 from 82 balls, 6 fours) and Sehwag (48 from 46 balls, 5 fours and 1 six) made any significant contribution for India. With one victory and two losses, India's hopes of entering the Super Eight stage were now grim and depended on a Bermuda victory over Bangladesh by a heavy margin in the last Group B match. But with Bangladesh beating Bermuda, India crashed out of the World Cup in the first round, the first time since 1992.

 

(Police stand guard outside Rahul Dravid’s house)

After the debacle, Kumble retired from ODI cricket, while coach Greg Chappell resigned after reports that none of the senior players, including Tendulkar, were happy with him and his coaching methods. However, Dravid retained the captaincy. There were several attacks on players homes and protests by infuriated fans, especially in Bangalore and Mumbai.