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Before we get to the team news, let’s have a look at what this match means for both sides.
After the New Zealand disappointment, West Indies are clinging on here. If they lose, they are out, which is about as clear as it gets. The Windies have won just one of their six matches so far, but can still progress if they win their final three games – and other results go for them. Sri Lanka and Afghanistan are to follow – two very winnable games – so a win today could prove decisive.
Related: When India first won at Lord’s and changed the story of cricket
Related: When Kapil Dev hit 175 and inspired India to their first Cricket World Cup
India v West Indies. A World Cup in England. It’s 1983, it’s the final at Lord’s and one of the most stunning upsets in ODI cricket. For the West Indies side in their pomp – with Gordon Greenidge, Desmond Haynes, Sir Viv and Clive Lloyd at the top of the order, and the fearsome bowling foursome of Andy Roberts, Joel Garner, Malcolm Marshall and Michael Holding – this was their third consecutive World Cup final and they were widely expected to see off a an Indian side that had won just one match in their previous two World Cups. In fact, prior to the tournament India had played a total of just 40 ODIs and were 66-1 outsiders to win the whole thing. “We didn’t take the game seriously,” said India’s first ODI captain, Ajit Wadekar, “We had no idea of field placings or tactics.”
The Indian team were criminally underfunded by their own board. Mohinder Amarnath taught Kapil Dev to wash his own clothes on tour to save money – “actually showing me the tub in the bathroom” – a process that damaged Kapil’s hands so much, he was unable to bowl the next day. But things were changing. The Asian Games in Delhi the year previously had meant many households in India now had a colour TV. Most of the country was now glued to the screen. Rahul Dravid, then ten years old remembers “watching that final in Bangalore. That win inspired a lot of young kids to take to the game.” It would prove to be a turning point for Indian cricket.
Written by Michael Butler and Tim de Lisle
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/sport/live/2019/jun/27/india-v-west-indies-cricket-world-cup-2019-live under the title “India v West Indies: Cricket World Cup 2019 – live!”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
