On This Day In 1983: Kapil Dev Smashed 175 Against Zimbabwe In World Cup
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On this day in 1983: Kapil Dev's legendary 175 against Zimbabwe in the Prudential World Cup changed India's fortunes, leading them to win the World Cup.
On This Day In 1983: The legendary Kapil Dev lit up the 1983 Prudential World Cup in England with a game-transforming knock of 175 against Zimbabwe on this day. The ultimate trailblazer played an innings widely regarded as the finest and most impactful hundred in the history of ODI cricket.
Kapil's innings revived India's fortunes in the tournament before the captain famously lifted the World Cup at the Lord's balcony to trigger a nonstop wave that changed Indian cricket's landscape.
Kapil etched Kent's Tunbridge Wells in the history books with a century for the ages after a disastrous batting collapse from India. It's said that the skipper was in the shower when a teammate knocked on his door after India were reduced to just 9-4 in a must-win Group B encounter versus the Zimbabweans.
Despite his team staring at a defeat, Kapil approached the situation in trademark fashion and hammered the inexperienced Zimbabwe attack for what was then the fastest ODI century and the record-highest World Cup score.
The ball flew over the roof at the Nevill Ground with the tenacious right-hander hitting 16 fours and 6 sixes. In an era where batting in One-Day Internationals was about survival for 60 overs, especially in challenging English conditions, Kapil emerged at his brave and destructive best, finishing unbeaten with a strike rate of 126.81.
The next highest score to Kapil's 175* off 138 deliveries was 24 from wicketkeeper-batter Syed Kirmani.
The one-man show from the aggressive and inspiring Indian cricketer took his team's score to 266/8 which they later defended by 31 runs and kept their World Cup hopes alive.
Having suffered two consecutive defeats, India needed to beat Zimbabwe to stay in contention for the semifinals. Kapil's heroics did exactly that with the captain leading from the front before going on to beat Australia in the final group-stage encounter.
India then surpassed hosts England in the semifinal and defeated the mighty West Indies in the final at Lord's in one of the game's pathbreaking triumphs that only heightened the value of Kapil's courageous display.
Unfortunately, there is no footage available for the glorious innings. While some believe English broadcasters BBC were on strike for the contest, few count that as a myth alluding to the West Indies versus Australia game televised on the same day.
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