Top 3 cameos by an Indian in the 1983 World Cup

Team India created history by beating the West Indies in the finals of the 1983 World Cup at the Lord's on June 25, 1983. Team India won the said tournament against all odds and stunned cricket fans around the world with their triumph.

Kapil Dev's unbeaten knock of 175 in the group stage against Zimbabwe was instrumental in India's progress in the tournament. However, there were a few match-winning cameos played by Indian batsmen throughout the tournament.

Here is a look at the three such cameos on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of India's maiden World Cup triumph:

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#1 Yashpal Sharma - 89 against the West Indies at Manchester

India's first match in the 1983 World Cup was against two-time title holders and defending champions West Indies. The West Indies won the toss in the said game and inserted India to bat first.

The Indian top order struggled against the battery of pacers of the West Indies, comprising Michael Holding, Andy Roberts, Malcolm Marshall, and Joel Garner, and kept losing wickets at regular intervals.

At one stage, India were reduced to 141 for the loss of five wickets, and the end seemed inevitable. However, the Indian number four, Yashpal Sharma, played a gutsy innings and battled hard against world-class pace bowlers.

He occupied the crease for more than two hours and scored 89 runs from 120 balls, which included nine boundaries. He added 30 runs with Mohinder Amarnath, 49 runs with Sandip Patil, and 73 runs with Roger Binny.

Riding on Yashpal Sharma's knock, India managed to reach 262 from 60 overs. The West Indies fell short of the target by 34 runs, and team India created history by beating the mighty West Indies for the first time in a World Cup encounter.

Yashpal Sharma was named Man of the Match for his match-winning innings.

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#2 Yashpal Sharma - 61 against England at Manchester

Yashpal Sharma was one of the unsung heroes of Team India throughout the 1983 World Cup. Apart from the match-winning innings against the mighty West Indies, as mentioned hereinabove, Sharma played another match-winning cameo in the semi-finals of the 1983 World Cup and guided his team into the finals.

Batting first, the hosts were bundled out for 213; Kapil Dev was the most successful bowler, picking up three wickets.

India lost both their openers when the score was just 50 when Yashpal Sharma joined Mohinder Amarnath on the crease. The duo added 92 runs before the latter perished. Sharma thereafter added 63 runs with Sandip Patil.

Sharma's knock was a patient one, and he scored 61 runs from 115 balls that included three boundaries and two sixes. It was instrumental in India reaching the finals of the 1983 World Cup and knocking the hosts out of the tournament.

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#3 Krishnamachari Srikkanth - 38 against the West Indies at Lord's

The aggressive Indian opener was the highest run-getter in the finals of the 1983 World Cup. On a pitch conducive to pace bowling, Srikkanth played a brisk knock of 38 from 57 balls that included seven boundaries and a six. Marshall dismissed him leg before wicket for 38, but Srikkanth had given India a perfect platform.

Though 38 may not seem like a big score, the fact that Srikkanth scored the said runs against the likes of Holding, Marshall, Roberts, and Garner in a big game means that the said knock will always be special in the history books.

India won the finals by 43 runs, and Srikkanth was one of the architects of the Indian win in a low-scoring encounter.