Happy Birthday Mohinder Amarnath: 1983 World Cup hero turns 70
Born on 24 September 1950, Mohinder Amarnath was instrumental in India's maiden World Cup triumph in 1983 against the West Indies.
Former India all-rounder and 1983 World Cup hero Mohinder Amarnath celebrated his 70th birthday on Thursday as wishes poured in from the cricket fraternity. Mohinder Amarnath is widely remembered for his brilliant performance in the 1983 World Cup and was awarded the "Man of the Match" in both semi-finals and finals. Amarnath played a leading role in India's maiden World Cup triumph.
Once Mohinder Amarnath fearlessly hooked the fastest West Indian bowlers in their backyard, scoring nearly 600 runs in five Caribbean Tests at 66.44. Mohinder, who made his debut against Australia at Chennai in December 1969, is the son of Lala Amarnath who was the first post-independence captain of India.
Richard Hadlee broke his head, Malcolm Marshall knocked out his teeth, Imran Khan knocked him unconscious, and Michael Holding sent him to hospital.
And yet Mohinder Amarnath got three centuries in Pakistan, two in the West Indies and one against Thommo in Australia. pic.twitter.com/HXxOls04iH — Joy Bhattacharjya (@joybhattacharj) September 24, 2020
Mohinder Amarnath's performance in the 1983 @CricketWorldCup knockouts:
Semi-final v England
Two wickets
46 runs
Player of the Match
Final v West Indies
Three wickets
26 runs
Player of the Match
Happy 70th birthday to the India legend! pic.twitter.com/r2fdLlDZ11 — ICC (@ICC) September 24, 2020
ICC paid tribute to Mohinder Amarnath in a tweet which said," Mohinder Amarnath's performance in 1983
@CricketWorldCup knockouts:
Cricket bat and ball Semi-final v England
Two wickets
46 runs
Military medal Player of the Match
Cricket bat and ball Final v West Indies
Three wickets
26 runs
Military medal Player of the Match
Happy 70th birthday to the India legend!
Amarnath went onto represent India in 85 ODI matches and scored 1,924 runs while also claiming 46 wickets. Amarnath also played 69 Test matches and scored 4,378 runs including 11 centuries and 24 fifties, and claimed 32 wickets. In 198283, he played 11 Test matches against West Indies (6) and Pakistan (5) and scored around 1000 runs in the two-test series. This earned him praise from Pakistan fast bowler Imran Khan and Malcolm Marshall of the West Indies because of his batting, courage and ability.