Who is Mohinder Amarnath? The forgotten man behind India’s 1983 World Cup victory
Mohinder Amarnath often goes unmentioned during 1983 World Cup victory discussions.
India’s 1983 World Cup win under the legendary leadership of Kapil Dev brought a sporting revolution in the country as more and more sportsmen and sportswomen realized that sports can also be opted as a career. The 1983 win brought a big turnaround in Indian cricket. Players like Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar, Kris Shrikant, Dilip Vengsarkar, Roger Binny, etc became heroes for the younger generation.
Among these players, there was one player who played a big role in shaping India’s road to success in this World Cup. His name is Mohinder Amarnath. Son of former and late India cricketer Lala Amarnath, Mohinder Amarnath contributed with his batting as well as his bowling.
The all-rounder was a forgotten hero but his contributions were unmatchable in the entire tournament. Mohinder Amarnath was a vital part of India’s success story. He scored 237 runs in the entire tournament with an average of 29.63. His medium pace troubled the batters as he looked penetrative in overcast English conditions as he took 8 wickets in 8 games with an economy of 3.63.
Mohinder Amarnath was the Man of the Match in Semi-final and Final
His efforts in the semi-final, as well as the final, were unforgettable. In the semifinal against England, Amarnath took 2/27 in 12 overs helping India restrict England to 213 in 60 overs. He took two crucial wickets of Mike Gatting and David Gower. While chasing he scored 46 in 92 balls helping India win by 6 wickets.
In the final against the West Indies India lost both their openers- Sunil Gavaskar and Kris Shrikant with the scoreboard showing 59/2. India needed someone to stabilize the innings. Everyone knew about the threat possessed by the West Indian pacers. It was Amarnath who saved India. He batted with a lot of calmness and spent enough time at the crease. He showcased a lot of solidity against the deadly West Indian pacers. The right-hander scored 26 in 80 balls and batted for more than 100 minutes. West Indies managed to bowl India out for 183.
The West Indian batting line-up possessed some destructive batters like Vivian Richards, Clive Lloyd, Desmond Haynes, Gordan Greenidge, etc. At one stage, Vivian Richards was smashing the Indian bowlers all around the park. When the score was 57/2, Richards pulled a shot delivery bowled by Madan Lal high in the air and Kapil Dev took a brilliant catch running backward.
West Indies were 76/6 at one point. Wicket-keeper batsman Jeffrey Dujon and pacer Malcolm Marshall tried to stabilize the inning. It was Amarnath who bowled a wonderful leg cutter that outfoxed Dujon as he was clean-bowled. After that, Malcolm Marshal and Andy Roberts both got out. Amarnath took the wicket of Michael Holding who was LBW in front of the wickets. Amarnath was declared man of the match as he registered figures of 3/12 in 7 overs and scored 26 vital runs. India won the match as well as the World Cup.
It was like a dream for every Indian and a memorable win for the entire nation. All-rounder Mohinder Amarnath was definitely one of the biggest contributors in the entire tournament for India.
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