World Cup memorabilia: The other India vs. West Indies 1983 smash featuring Roger Binny and Yashpal Sharma

Classic David vs Goliath. The two-time defending champions, West Indies, were unbeaten in their winning World Cup campaigns in 1975 and 1979. India had only triumphed in one of their previous six World Cup games, losing to Sri Lanka, who had not to get Test status at the time, and went winless in the preceding tournament.

However, in only the third One-Day International between the teams, just two and a half months before, Kapil Dev’s men had pulled off an incredible shock over Clive Lloyd’s rogue team. It was obvious that the win was well deserved given that it occurred in the Caribbean, in Albion, Berbice, and by a comfortable score of 27 runs.

When the sides faced off at Old Trafford in Manchester for both nations’ first match of the 1983 World Cup, not even the whole Indian squad was certain it could pull off an encore. Prior to the game, India only had one squad meeting, which took place on the bus ride from London to Manchester the day before. When Kapil informed his team that there was no reason they couldn’t defeat the Caribbean giants once again, they were treated with open scepticism and not a little mockery. India had confirmed a trip to the US for a series of exhibition matches once their interest in the World Cup expired, which they were certain would happen at the end of the league round, such was their lack of confidence.

But Kapil’s belief remained unwavering, and over time, his colleagues began to catch his optimism. They lost their hangdog mentality; they weren’t defeated before they entered the field, but they were still hesitant to compete against the West Indians on an equal level.

The meaning of the toss would become clearer as a result of later occurrences. The West Indies skipper sent India in with an eye toward an early conclusion. Who could blame Lloyd with India’s odds of winning the championship at 66-1? It was a choice that greatly influenced the result.

Yashpal-Binny’s talk show

Sandeep Patil’s 36 was the highest score for India, who had a respectable start with their top four all getting off to starts. When Kapil was bowled by Larry Gomes’ off-spin at 141 for five, it became clear that India was in trouble. One of the specialist hitters, Yashpal Sharma, was still unbeaten and enjoying the unusual sunlight in Manchester. He was given the job of leading the team to respectability with the all-rounders who would come after him, Roger Binny, Madan Lal, Syed Kirmani, and Ravi Shastri.

Yashpal had a strong, unyielding personality and he loved the smell of combat. Yashpal played with style and flexibility to manage the lower order while putting his trust in Binny to keep his half of the bargain. The Karnataka right-hander was a frequent opener in domestic cricket and had contributed a record 451 for the first wicket in the Ranji Trophy with Sanjay Desai. He added 73 with Binny before adding 29 with Madan. With the West Indian quicks being frustrated by the tail, India amassed 262 for eight, a record total in 60-over cricket at the time.

The true Manchester weather showed as play continued on the reserve day following a rain delay. India’s array of medium-pacers made fun with early inroads into the potent batting line-up despite the chilly, gloomy, and rainy conditions. The expected onslaught of boundaries failed to materialize; instead, wickets fell without the scoreboard changing much, and all of the Indian players on the field suddenly began to think victory was really a possibility.

Shastri gorged on the scraps the medium-pacers left behind to remove Malcolm Marshall and Michael Holding, placing India on the verge of a legendary triumph. The game was all but over at 157 for nine, but Andy Roberts and Joel Garner considered other theories. They scored 71 runs for the last wicket when Shastri had the aggressive Garner caught behind the stumps amid rising tension and the possibility of an incredible Caribbean victory. West Indies’ first World Cup loss had reduced them to their knees, setting the stage for what would happen at Lord’s on June 25—a week later.

Short results: West Indies 228 all out in 54.1 overs (Clive Lloyd 25, Andy Roberts 37 not out, Joel Garner 37; Roger Binny 3-48, Ravi Shastri 3-26) were defeated by India 262/8 in 60 overs (Sandeep Patil 36, Yashpal Sharma 89, Roger Binny 27; Michael Holding 2-32, Malcolm Marshall 2-48, Larry Gomes 2-46) by 34 runs. Yashpal Sharma won the game’s MVP award.