Madan Lal became the toast of India for his three-wicket haul in the 1983 World Cup final against the then mighty West Indies. Madan Lal made a brilliant appearance scalping 17 wickets in eight games. But he saved his best for the final, where he took out the wickets of Desmond Haynes, Vivian Richards and Larry Gomes.

Sacking the dangerous Richards, Madan Lal turned out to be a turning point when Kapil Dev’s men won the World Cup.

In 39 tests Madan Lal took 71 wickets with 6/67 as his best match numbers. In 67 ODIs, Madan Lal scalped 73 wickets with an economy of 4.05.

On June 25, 1983, under the leadership of legendary all-rounder Kapil Dev, India made history by winning the Prudential World Cup for the first time. Lord’s was the scene of India’s greatest cricket triumph back then when they beat two-time winner West Indies with 43 runs to win the coveted trophy.

Kapil Dev was known to be the first Indian captain to win the World Cricket Championship when the Indian team basked in glory on the famous Lord’s Balcony. On their way to the final, they made it through Group B with four wins out of six before they faced hosts England in the semi-finals at Old Trafford. India stood in the final against the formidable West Indies – who were on the hunt for a hat trick in the World Cup titles – but were shocked by a determined Indian bowling line-up.

First batting, India was thrown for a paltry 183 in 54.5 overs, with Kris Srikkanth taking the top scoring with a 57 ball of 38.

Given the talent among the Windies, the total looked pretty huntable. However, fine bowling helped India’s onslaught to knock their opponents by only 140, sparking wild celebrations in the homeland of cricket.

Mohinder Amarnath and Madan Lal were the main architects of the win, taking three wickets each, while India recorded a historic 43-run win.

Indian center pacemaker Roger Binny proved his worth on English terms by finishing the tournament as the tournament’s lead wicket taker.

Short notes

June 25th 1983, Prudential World Cup Final, India vs. West Indies

Result: India won with 43 runs

India 183 complete (K Srikkanth 38, Sandeep Patil 27, Mohinder Amarnath 26, Andy Roberts 3/32, Malcolm Marshall 2/24); West Indies 140 (Viv Richards 33, Jeff Dujon 25, Mohinder Amarnath 3/12, Madan Lal 3/31)