The greatest ODI innings which we haven't seen on television

Many cricket pundits confirm this as the greatest innings played by an Indian batsman ever in the Limited Overs Cricket.

Since the broadcasters of the tournament, BBC - was on strike on that day, the video footage wasn’t available to anyone.

It was a must-win match for India against Zimbabwe in the 1983 World Cup. India won the toss and elected to bat first. But the Zimbabwe bowlers Kevin Curran and Peter Rawson breathed fire and India were pushed to 9/4.

In came the Indian captain Kapil Dev, at No.6. He made a handy partnership of 60 runs with Roger Binny for the 7th wicket before the latter was trapped leg-before by John Traicos. An early departure of Ravi Shastri made the situation worse and the scorecard read 78/7.

The next batsman Madan Lal gave good support to Kapil, scoring 17 off 39-balls. The partnership helped India reach 140/8 before Lal was scalped by Curran. When the last batsman Syed Kirmani came in to bat, none were aware of the majestic partnership yet to come.

Kapil shifted his gears, and sixes and fours began to came off his bat continuously. He didn’t even spare their ace bowlers -Kevin Curran and Peter Rawson who were sensational in their first spell.

At the end of the 60-over mark, India were at 266/8, and Kapil Dev scored 175 runs from 138 balls with 16 fours and 6 sixes. Kirmani remained not out on 24 off 56 deliveries, which also deserved a huge appreciation.

They added 126 runs for the 9th wicket, a record that stood for almost 27 years until Angelo Mathews and Lasith Malinga broke it in 2010.

The Indian bowlers utilized the seaming conditions as they restricted Zimbabwe for 235, and ensured a 31-run victory for India. The win gave India a place in the semi-final. What happened at Lord’s in the final is history, as ‘Kapil’s Devils’ defeated the mighty West Indies to be crowned the World Champions.

If broadcasted, that video would have found a place in every cricket fan’s collection.


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