Former West Indies pacer Andy Roberts feels India were “lucky” to win the World Cup in 1983. Roberts, who is considered the father of modern West Indian fast bowling, won the World Cup twice with West Indies in 1975 and 1979. However, Roberts and West Indies failed to defend their title in 1983, losing to India in the final. The Kapil Dev-led side defeated West Indies not once, but twice during the event in 1983. However, Roberts said none of the Indian cricketers impressed him in the final.
“We were in form but due for a bad game. It was just India’s luck in 1983. Because of that great team that we had, we lost two games in 1983, and both to India. And then, five or six months later, we beat India 6-0. So, it was just that game. Luck went India’s way after they were dismissed for 180-odd. We weren’t outplayed. We just lost the game. It was not overconfidence or complacency,” Roberts said on Sportstar.
“Among the batsmen, I was not impressed by anyone in particular. No one got a fifty. Among the bowlers, no one got a 5-fer or even a 4-fer. So, I was not particularly impressed. Batsmen impress when you play a top-quality innings. And no one from India did that.”
Speaking on the turning point of the match, Roberts insisted the dismissal of Vivian Richards took the game out of their grasp.
“I think it was when Viv (Richards) got out. We could never recover. The only difference in the finals is that in 1975 and 1979, we were inserted. In ’83, we batted second. That was the difference,” he added.
In the final, India scored 183 after being invited to bat first. Kris Srikkanth top-scored with a 57-ball 38, while Sandeep Patil and Mohinder Amarnath played cameos on 27 and 26, respectively.
In reply, West Indies fell short by 43 runs as Amarnath and Madan Lal scalped three wickets each to spark a batting collapse.
Recently, India’s legendary squad reunited to celebrate 40 years of their World Cup triumph.
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