JUNE 18, 1983 • TUNBRIDGE WELLS
175*
THE INNINGS THAT SAVED A NATION
No TV coverage. No footage exists. Only legend remains. The greatest innings never recorded, forever etched in the hearts of a billion.
Scroll to witness history
THE CRISIS
THE COLLAPSE
India loses four wickets for just 9 runs. The tournament dream crumbles.
ROCK BOTTOM
Another wicket falls. Five down for 17. All hope seems lost.
THE RESISTANCE
Kapil begins the fightback. Boundaries start flowing. But can one man save a nation?
THE HURRICANE
With the tail, Kapil unleashes fury. The ball disappears to all corners.
THE LEGEND
Unbeaten. Unconquered. One man against the odds. 175 runs that changed history.
THE NUMBERS
THE LOST FOOTAGE
BBC was not recording. The match was deemed unimportant. No camera captured the greatest innings in World Cup history.
“Perhaps it's better this way. Some legends are meant to live only in the hearts of those who witnessed them.”
THOSE WHO WITNESSED
“It was the most incredible display of hitting I have ever seen in cricket.”
— Sunil Gavaskar
“Kapil was possessed that day. He played shots that defied belief.”
— Mohinder Amarnath
“We just stood and watched. It was Kapil against the world.”
— Roger Binny
THE IMPACT
This innings kept India alive in the 1983 World Cup. Without it, there would be no final at Lord's. No World Cup victory. No revolution in Indian cricket.
175 RUNS
One innings that changed the destiny of a billion people.