When Kapil Dev gave a scorer with no assignment his best I-was-there moment

India captain Kapil Dev smashes a Zimbabwe bowler during his unbeaten 175 at Tunbridge Wells during the 1983 World Cup. Pic/Getty Images

Not many non-spectators can claim to have witnessed Kapil Dev's unbeaten 175 against Zimbabwe during the 1983 World Cup.

Mumbai-based Yashvant Chad can.

Chad was present at Tunbridge Wells exactly 40 years ago when the then India captain smashed 175 not out off 138 balls to put India's historic World Cup campaign back on track.

Chad arrived in England for the tournament all set to write for a few newspapers back home, but he was most proficient and well known as a scorer. The scorers for the games were appointed by the counties, so Chad wrote to them for opportunities. Only Leicestershire CC got back, asking him to be a scorer for the other India v Zimbabwe game.

Yashvant Chad

At Tunbridge Wells, Chad sat near the sightscreen at the pavilion end and had a good view of Kapil Dev's brilliance. "The way Kapil Dev was playing, you could call it copybook cricket… not a single rash stroke. The ball was moving, the wicket was green. He played shots straight down the ground to negate the swing. In fact, he was so confident that he wasn't beaten in the entire innings," Chad said.

Chad also remembered how Kapil Dev didn't start hitting sixes till much later in the innings. "At the beginning, he would just lunge forward and play strokes either through mid-off or mid-on, no glances or hooks. It was a perfectly controlled innings. It was unbelievable," he said.

Having lost to Australia and West Indies in the previous two matches, it was a must-win game for India. The captain walked in to bat when India were 9-4 and were 17-5 soon after. But the pressure didn't affect him at all. Chad recalled: "He was always confident in any position, never tense. He would play four to five balls in an over and rotate strike with Roger Binny, Madan Lal and Syed Kirmani. He told them to just stay on the wicket. Slowly, he built partnerships with them."

Chad, who was a touch disappointed not witnessing the innings as a scorer, considers the win against Zimbabwe as the turning point of the World Cup and for India as a cricketing nation. "Tunbridge Wells was the turning point because from nowhere, we won the game. It created tremendous confidence and self belief in the team. They started believing they could win from any position. From 17-5, who would expect a win?"

Chad recalled the aftermath. "We didn't know what the reaction was in India, as communications weren't so good. But in England, our people [Indians] were so fanatic that they wanted to follow Indian team for every match."

India ended up beating Zimbabwe by 31 runs in a 60-over game and then went on to win the Cup.

If June 25, 1983 is a red-letter day in Indian cricket, June 18, 1983 is an important date too.

Also Read: The 175' is 40 today!