The First Time India Won the World Cup

Brut India

On this day 36 years ago the Indian cricket team won the World Cup for the first time, and fans could barely contain their joy. Later, captain Kapil Dev admitted even he wasn’t sure they would do it.

Transcript

00:00It was a case of over-excitement stopped play.

00:04The world champions had hoped to wind down with a few gentle-overs

00:07in a benefit match for a former Indian bowler.

00:10But the exuberant fans, still celebrating India's greatest ever achievement in one-day cricket,

00:15refused to leave the pitch after the tea interval, and the charity match had to be abandoned.

00:20Children and adults alike crowded around their new national heroes

00:24in the hope of a brief conversation, or better still, an autograph.

00:29Indian captain Kapil Dev was mobbed as he ventured out onto the pitch.

00:33Unlike the supporters, he didn't expect India to beat the West Indies.

00:54But while the Indians are ecstatic at their victory,

00:57they are angry that a short time ago they were being dismissed as outsiders.

01:00When we beat England by six wickets, which should have been eight,

01:03you said it was due to bad batting.

01:06And now, now we've beaten the West Indies.

01:09We beat the West Indies.

01:11And what did Mike Braley have to say?

01:13He said, I wish the West Indies batted like this in 1979,

01:16implying that it wasn't the Indian fielding, but poor West Indian batting.

01:21What must we do to get credit?

01:26The celebrations don't end here.

01:28The champions are going back to India on Thursday.

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