India, the rank underdogs, surprised the cricketing world when they stunned the West Indies to win the third edition of the World Cup. India won the final by 43 runs when the mighty West Indians folded up for a measly 140, chasing a total of 183. David Gower of England was the highest scorer (384) and Roger Binny of India picked up the most wickets (18).
Officially known as the Prudential Cup ’83, the matches were held in England and Wales from June 9 to June 25, 1983 and are remembered for the surprising results thrown up in the event.
The format of the World Cup was still two groups of four teams each with each team playing each other twice. The top two teams from each group then advanced to the semi-finals with the winners further advancing to the final. The participating teams were England, Australia, India, Pakistan, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, West Indies and Zimbabwe.
A total of 27 matches were played in the World Cup and each match consisted of 60 overs per team. England, India, Pakistan and West Indies were the semi-finalists.
— The writer is an intern with Gulf News
