India has been crowned world champions not once but twice. These triumphs did not come easy but required grit, courage and skill of the highest order. Let's look back at these fantastic wins.
1983 World Cup
The 1983 World Cup was held in England. So, in those days before the internet exploded, you didn't have sites or apps to bet on sports. Fans would get together at the bar, work, or other places and say, "Hey, I bet you 20 bucks India wins the World Cup." And shake hands on it. Today, this is known as exchange betting, where users meet on platforms like betstarexchange and win bets directly from another bettor without paying the website's commission.
Going back to 1983, not many people thought India could win. But India surprised everyone. The team was seen as a huge underdog. Only a few experts gave them a chance. Bookmakers gave odds of 66-1 for an India win, meaning a $1 bet would return $66. But India believed in themselves.
Kapil Dev's Team
The Indian team was led by their captain, Kapil Dev. He was an excellent all-rounder. Some of India's other good players were:
- Sunil Gavaskar - batsman
- Mohinder Amarnath - batsman and medium pacer
- Roger Binny - medium pacer
- Madan Lal - medium pacer
- Syed Kirmani - wicketkeeper
India started slowly, losing 2 of their first 3 matches. But they found form later on.
The Final Against West Indies
In the final, India faced the mighty West Indies. West Indies had won the last two World Cups. They looked set to win their third.
India batted first and scored just 183 runs. It seemed like a small total. But their bowling and fielding was excellent. Medium pacers Madan Lal, Roger Binny and Mohinder Amarnath bowled tightly. India dismissed the great West Indies batting lineup for just 140 runs to win by 43 runs incredibly.
Kapil Dev lifted the World Cup trophy to huge celebrations at the Lord's balcony. India had beaten the odds to create history.
2011 World Cup
In 2011, India finally won their second World Cup title at home. The tournament was held in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. India had built a solid one-day team over the years. They went into the tournament as one of the favorites, along with Australia and South Africa.
Interestingly, the story of the Bitz casino and betting webiste, one of the most popular in India, began after this tournament. At that time, the site's founder made one-on-one bets with 20 friends and realized that such an exchange needed to be brought online so that people worldwide could bet against each other.
Dhoni's Team
Their captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, led India. He was an excellent wicketkeeper-batsman and sharp leader. Some of India's key players were:
- Sachin Tendulkar - legendary batsman
- Virender Sehwag - aggressive opening batsman
- Gautam Gambhir - solid opening batsman
- Virat Kohli - young batting talent
- Yuvraj Singh - power hitter
- Zaheer Khan - spearhead bowler
- Harbhajan Singh - leading spinner
India topped their group, losing just one match. They beat familiar foes Australia and arch-rivals Pakistan in the quarter-finals and semi-finals.
The High Scoring Final Against Sri Lanka
In the final at Mumbai, India met Sri Lanka. Both teams had extreme batting lineups.India batted first. Sehwag fell early, but Tendulkar played a superb knock. Other batsmen like Gambhir and Dhoni built a strong total of 275 runs.
Sri Lanka started well in reply, but Zaheer Khantook key wickets. The game went down to the wire. But Dhoni stepped up with his captain's knock to see India home by 6 runs in a dramatic final.
Celebrations across India went late into the night. India was the World Champion on home soil, and the long wait for a second title was finally over.