India's playing XI in their 1983 World Cup final win: Where are they now?
In June 1983, India shook up the cricketing landscape by defeating hot favourites West Indies in the final clash of the 1983 World Cup at Lord's by 43 runs.
The Caribbeans had won the previous (and only) two editions of cricket's most prestigious tournament and were well on course to chase India's paltry score of 183 in the first innings. However, an inspired bowling performance and electric fielding led to one of cricket's biggest upsets in history.
Mohinder Amarnath was awarded the Player of the Match in the 1983 World Cup final for his all-round display - 26 vital runs with the bat apart from a game-changing 3-12 in 7 overs.
Indian skipper Kapil Dev, who had been in incredible form throughout the tournament, collected the 1983 World Cup trophy on the famous Lord's balcony, changing the face of the sport back home forever.
In this article, we take a look at where the playing XI in the final of the 1983 World Cup India team are now.
Playing XI of India's 1983 World Cup final
Sunil Gavaskar: The Bombay batsman needs no introduction and went on to become one of the greatest Test batsmen of all time. Gavaskar became the first batsman to cross 10,000 runs in Test cricket and scored 34 centuries in the longest format of the game.
After retirement, Sunny G has featured in various administrative roles, such as the Interim President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Chairman of the International Cricket Council's (ICC) Cricket Committee. However, he left all these positions to pursue a career in commentary and is very well-respected as a pundit.
Kris Srikkanth: The dashing opener went on to captain India and single-handedly impacted the way future generations looked at facing the new ball. With his aggressive strokeplay, Srikkanth even convinced the sedate Sunil Gavaskar to step up his strike rate.
After retiring, Cheeka became the coach of the India 'A' team and served as the Chairman of the Selection Committee for four years. He is now an entertaining commentator, primarily in the Tamil language.
Mohinder Amarnath: Jimmy was a handy all-rounder, and apart from his MoM performance in the 1983 World Cup final, he also won the accolade in the semi-final of the same tournament against England, picking up the wickets of the legendary David Gower and Mike Gatting.
Since retirement, Amarnath has largely been away from the spotlight but occasionally makes appearances as a pundit on TV.
Yashpal Sharma: The attacking middle-order batsman never quite fulfilled the promise he showed but went on to represent the country in 37 Tests and 42 ODIs. In the opening match of the World Cup against 1983 West Indies team, he top-scored with a fluent 89 and followed up that performance with an impressive 61 in the semi-final.
After retiring from cricket, he had a short stint as an umpire before serving as a member of the selection panel for the Indian cricket team. Unfortunately, he passed away in July 2021 after suffering a massive cardiac arrest.
Sandeep Patil: The big-hitting batsman was known for his swagger on the field but curbed his natural instincts to score a gritty 27 in the final of the 1983 World Cup. He would play for India only for a few more years, with a highly unsuccessful and controversial Bollywood debut interrupting his career.
Patil has served as the Chairman of the Selection Committee and has also coached the senior and 'A' national teams.
Check out the 1983 World Cup Final Scorecard here.
Kapil Dev: The Indian skipper went on to have a distinguished career, finishing as India's greatest all-rounder of all time, with the 1983 World Cup win the most colourful feather in his cap.
However, the same success hasn't followed him away from the sport. After a controversy-riddled campaign as the coach of the national team, Dev took up a role as the Indian bowling coach for a short period.
He then joined the rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL) cricket tournament, before the BCCI cut all ties with him, forcing him to switch allegiances once more. He is currently the Chancellor of the Sports University of Haryana in his home state.
Kirti Azad: The explosive batsman's place in the 1983 World Cup team was constantly questioned by critics, and he went on to play only 7 Tests and 35 ODIs for India. He found his calling after retirement and followed the footsteps of his famous father to become a politician.
After joining the BJP, he was suspended due to differences in opinion with ex-finance minister Arun Jaitley and joined the Congress. However, more recently, Azad switched parties and joined hands with the Trinamool Congress (TMC) in November 2021.
Roger Binny: The electric all-rounder was the highest wicket-taker in the 1983 World Cup with 18 scalps to his name and played 27 Tests and 72 ODIs. Binny was known for his livewire fielding and was a more than useful lower-order batsman.
Binny was appointed as a member of the selection committee in 2012 and is currently serving as an Office Bearer at the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA).
Madan Lal: The pacer took the wicket of West indies captain in 1983 world cup Viv Richards in the final of the 1983 World Cup, but despite his incredible first-class career, he played only 39 Tests for India. A lower-order batsman with the uncanny ability to bail his team out of tricky situations, Lal has coached the UAE and Indian cricket teams since his retirement.
Like many other players of this squad, Lal also served on the Selection Committee. He currently runs an academy in his hometown.
Syed Kirmani: The wicket-keeper came in at No. 10 in the 1983 World Cup final and was one of the last glovemen known for his ability behind the stumps rather than in front of them.
Kirmani played 88 Tests for India and retired as one of the best stumpers the game has ever seen. He appears on sports shows to give his opinions on various topics in Indian cricket.
Balwinder Sandhu: The fast bowler played only 8 Tests and 22 ODIs for India but bowled the legendary Gordon Greenidge in the final of the 1983 World Cup. After his retirement, he served as the coach of the Mumbai and Punjab domestic teams and was also part of the rebel ICL.