World Cup History: 3 players who have won the man of the match awards in both semi-final and final of a world cup
With just a couple of days left for the commencement of the grand cricketing extravaganza, there is certainly a lot of buzz and excitement among fans from all around the world. With the introduction of the round-robin format, there is certainly an equal chance for all the teams to prove its mettle and stake their claim at the coveted trophy.
The players are certainly the epicenter of the World Cup. They need to train hard, get acclimatized to the English conditions, keep up their fitness levels and manage their diet and workload. Once they are out in the middle, they should be able to withstand the mental pressure and get adjusted to the match situation.
After all, if a player is able to churn up remarkable performances in a World Cup, he is definitely creating a legacy to be carried forward by his teammates.
There are certain players who bring out their best when challenges are thrown at them. They have the ability to soak in the pressure and deliver match-winning performances.
This article talks about three such cricketers who withstood the pressure and won the Man of the Match awards in both the semi-finals and final of the same ICC World Cup.
#1 Mohinder Amarnath - India (1983)
Team India punched above its weight and defeated the mighty West Indies in the 1983 World Cup at Lord's. This victory was certainly a watershed movement in the history of Indian cricket. While all the talks were about Kapil Dev's epic 175 against Zimbabwe or Kris Srikanth's highest score in the final, one should not forget the individual brilliance showed by Mohinder Amarnath in two of the most important games.
India took on hosts England in the semi-finals, and many believed that the hosts were certainly the favourites to qualify for the final. But Amarnath's miserly spell of 2/27 in his 12 overs put the breaks in England's scoring. Chasing 214 for victory, Amarnath brilliantly anchored the chase, scoring a patient 46. The all-around performance from him deservedly earned him the man-of-the-award.
In the final, India was taking on two-time champions West Indies. Batting first, India lost the wicket of Sunil Gavaskar very early. Soon Amarnath joined hands with Srikanth and started the repair act. Amarnath departed after making a solid 26 and the score was 90. However, the rest of the Indian batsmen couldn't consolidate, and the Indians folded up for a paltry score of 183.
Once the dangerous Vivian Richards was dismissed, Amarnath picked three crucial wickets including that of the last man Michael Holding and helped India register its maiden World Cup victory.
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