The International Cricket Council (ICC) Men’s Cricket World Cup has seen format changes, intense competition, and divisive disputes throughout the course of nearly five decades. The 13th edition of the tournament will feature ten nations vying for the most coveted prize in one-day international (ODI) cricket. Notably, India, a two-time world champion, will host the major event for the first time from October 5 to November 19.
The West Indies and Australia have both dominated the World Cup competition, among other teams. The first two World Cup competitions were nearly entirely won by West Indies. When Australia won the World Cup three times in a row in 1999, 2003, and 2007, their reign of awesomeness officially began.
On the other side, some teams have been underdogs because not many people had high hopes for them. Such teams frequently had captains who were both inspiring and commanding, guiding them to victory. Here are the captains who led their underdog teams to World Cup victory in ODIs. Such captains have brought honour to their teams.
ICC World Cup underdog teams with great captains:
1. Kapil Dev (India)- 1983 World Cup:
In the previous two ODI World Cups, in 1975 and 1979, India had only won one game while Srinivas Venkatraghavan served as captain. Indian players mastered one-day cricket by the time the 1983 World Cup rolled around. As a result, the BCCI sent a young side to the match, led by all-rounder Kapil Dev, who is only 24 years old.
Kapil Dev took the initiative and bowled the first wicket by an Indian in an ODI match against Australia during the group stage. In the league stage, India triumphed over both Australia and the West Indies. However, Kapil was at his finest when India defeated Zimbabwe thanks to his famous (175*) undefeated innings, which enabled India to post a respectable total after coming back from 17/5.
Young people like Sandeep Patil, Syed Kirmani, Balwinder Sandhu, and others were inspired and motivated to give it their all by his guidance. They excelled in high-stakes games, such as Patil’s fifty against England in the semi-finals and Yashpal Sharma and Sandhu’s dismissal of Gordon Greenidge in the Lord’s final. In 1983, Kapil Dev led this young, underdog side to a stunning World Cup victory.
2. Imran Khan (Pakistan)- 1992 World Cup:
Imran Khan was persuaded to reconsider his 1987 decision to retire from the sport and requested to lead Pakistan at the 1992 World Cup. He was aware that if he led the Men in Green to victory, he would be able to gather money for the Pakistani cancer hospital he intended to establish. Pakistan had trouble in warm-up matches in the opening rounds of the round-robin league because Imran entered the competition with a shoulder ailment.
After defending 220 runs against West Indies and losing by 10 wickets, they were 74 all out against England before the rain gods intervened. However, this did not put an end to their losing streak as they also lost to South Africa and India. But following a lecture from Imran, the caged tigers lifted themselves, and intriguingly, the Men in Green’s fortunes took a startling turn. They won against New Zealand, Australia, and Sri Lanka to go to the semifinals.
Pakistan advanced to the finals thanks to Inzamam Ul Haq’s brilliant performance and Javed Miandad. England was hoping to win the World Cup, but Imran Khan scored his highest World Cup knock of 72 in the final, and Wasim Akram then grabbed three wickets to put an end to England’s hopes. Pakistan’s lone World Cup victory under Imran Khan is still a proud moment for the entire nation.
3. Arjuna Ranatunga (Sri Lanka)- 1996 World Cup:
The West Indies and Australia refused to visit Sri Lanka before the World Cup in 1996, which the island nation jointly hosted with India and Pakistan. As a result of their forfeits, Sri Lanka advanced to the quarterfinals without having to play.
The Sri Lankan team, which was made up of a combination of youth and experience, was led by Arjuna Ranatunga. They had to navigate the murky waters of Muralitharan’s actions, and they struggled financially for the majority of the competition. With elite teams like Australia and the West Indies at the top of that list, Sri Lanka was not deemed deserving enough to win.
By defeating Zimbabwe, India, and Kenya while receiving walkovers from Australia and the West Indies, Sri Lanka managed to avoid losing in their group. Then, in the quarterfinals, Sanath Jayasuriya destroyed the England bowlers with 82 runs in 44 balls. Due to audience unrest, Arjuna Ranatunga and his team were given the semi-final matchup against India in Kolkata.
They consequently faced Australia in the championship game and decided to chase it even though they were aware that no team had succeeded in doing so. Aravinda de Silva, Asanka Gurusinha, and Arjuna Ranatunga led Sri Lanka to a World Cup victory in Lahore despite being given 242 to win and losing both of their explosive openers early.
So, this was all about the greatest captains in the ICC World Cup. Also read, ICB to drop extra tickets for Ind vs Pak & Bangladesh match.
