The 13th edition of the ICC Men’s ODI Cricket World Cup is well underway. Hosts India have made a confident start with emphatic wins, including over five-time world champions Australia and archrivals Pakistan. Even as the action heats up on the pitch, join My Kolkata on a ride down memory lane to the first time India hosted the marquee event – when the coveted trophy came to the Garden of Eden.
The first One Day International match was played between Australia and England in 1971. Four years later, the ICC planned to have the first ever World Cup to crown the kings of limited overs cricket. England, the birthplace of the game, was the natural choice as hosts. It was also decided that the event would be held every four years. The 1979 and 1983 editions were thus also hosted by England. The latter, of course, is now part of the folklore of Indian cricket as Kapil’s Devils pulled off the most incredible ‘upset’ by becoming world champions. But another great win was also scored away from the pitch.
Kapil’s Devils pulled off the most incredible ‘upset’ by becoming world champions in 1983 Adrian Murrell/Allsport/Getty Images
NKP Salve, the president of the BCCI and an influential Congress leader, was rudely rebuffed in his attempt to secure a couple of extra tickets for the 1983 final. Smarting from the insult, Salve decided to break the English monopoly and get the World Cup to India. Despite tensions between India and Pakistan, Salve received full support from Nur Khan, his counterpart from the Pakistani cricket board as well as from Sri Lankan cricket. The joint Asian bid was successful despite strong resistance by England and Australia. India and Pakistan were awarded the right to co-host the 1987 edition.
It was the first time that the ODI World Cup traveled outside the British Isles. However, the old men at Lord’s probably had a smile when the venue of the final was announced. It was to be Eden Gardens, Calcutta – a city and a ground with strong colonial roots.
Eden Gardens hosted the first World Cup final outside of Lord’s Wikimedia Commons
India and Pakistan were placed in opposite groups and the expectation was of the archrivals clashing in the final – a match for the ages. Both duly proceeded to their respective semifinals, but then calamity struck. First, Australia upset Pakistan in Lahore. The next day, there was heartbreak on this side of the border as England ended India’s run in Bombay. The oldest rivalry of cricket was set to be played out for the first time on Indian soil.
It was going to be the first-ever neutral ODI at the Eden Gardens. Everyone was eagerly looking forward to an India vs Pakistan final. Certainly every cricket lover in the city hoped to see Kapil Dev once again lift the Cup. But all that was now in the domain of “what if.” Organisers were certainly a tad nervous. But they need not have been.
On November 8, 1987, Calcutta lived up to its reputation as a sports-loving city as Eden was pretty much packed corner to corner. And they had chosen a clear favourite – it was Allan Border’s men in Baggy Green. Maybe it was the leftover angst from England having beaten India or an outcome of two centuries of colonial oppression. More likely, Calcutta simply wanted to cheer for the underdog. Australian cricket had been through a rough time through the 1980s and no one gave them much of a chance.
Australian batsman David Boon on and off the Calcutta pitch Getty Images
But that day, in the last ODI World Cup final played in whites and with a red ball, the men from Down Under pulled off a thrilling seven-run win to be crowned world champions for the first time. It was the closest World Cup final till date then, and remained so till 2019 when England and New Zealand played out a thrilling tie, England eventually declared winners on a rather dubious law. But all that was in the future. That afternoon, Eden erupted in joy with every English wicket and as the sun set on the Hooghly, everyone went home happy. Except the Englishmen that is.
India and Pakistan hosting the 1987 World Cup completely changed the trajectory of international cricket. The interest in ODI cricket that had been ignited by India’s historic 1983 triumph was now dialed up several notches. Soon, the shorter version of the game would go on to supersede its longer cousin as the darling of subcontinent crowds as ODI cricket exploded. It also marked England and Australia’s end as rulers of international cricket politics. In less than 10 years, the nerve centre of international cricket would shift to India.
The 1987 triumph heralded an Australian dominance in international cricket for the next couple of decades Chris Cole/Allsport/Getty Images/Hulton Archive
The 1987 World Cup is also historic for another reason. After nearly a decade of struggles, Australian cricket finally recovered bits of its old glory. It would mark a turnaround in the fortune of the Baggy Green that no one probably foresaw on the chilly Calcutta afternoon. Australia would come to dominate international cricket like never before, making five of the next seven world cup finals and winning four of them.
And all these historical twists and turns of international cricket started at our very own Eden Gardens, on that fine November day, 36 years ago.
