The revival of the campaign was well and truly on. A shell-shocked Zimbabwe, still to recover from Kapil’s blistering knock that included 16 fours and six sixes, were beaten by 31 runs. And the Indians, by now an inspired lot, raised the level of their game in a virtual quarterfinal against Australia. West Indies had already qualified and India now joined them in the semifinals with an emphatic 118-run victory over the Aussies.

By now, India were the most talked about team of the tournament. Their surprise entry into the last four made them the darling of the media which had christened them ``Kapil’s Devils’’. The team had a mix of everything in experience (Gavaskar, Mohinder Amarnath, Dilip Vengsarkar), ebullient stroke players (Srikkanth, Sandip Patil, Yashpal Sharma) and utility cricketers (Roger Binny, Madan Lal, Ravi Shastri) all led by the incomparable Kapil Dev. It was a unit bubbling with enthusiasm and expertise, skill and substance and not one to be taken lightly. Finishing second in group ‘B’ they had to play a confident England side that was brimming with confidence having finished with a record of five wins and one loss and topping group ‘A’. Despite their splendid showing, the Indians were rated as no hopers particularly as they had lost all five matches to them in England.

But again the Indians pulled a rabbit out of the hat. England’s top order batted solidly and at 141 for three they were poised for a big total. Inexplicably they collapsed to 213 all out in 60 overs. The Indians had a glorious opportunity for a crack at the title and did not squander it. A methodical approach at the start by Gavaskar and Srikkanth followed by timely knocks by Amarnath, Yashpal and Patil saw India home with six wickets and 5.2 overs to spare. A great victory meant that the Indians now were only one steep step away from the summit.

Again, the Indians were given little chance despite their victory in the opening game. And the match seemed over at the halfway stage when the Indians were bowled out for 183. Srikkanth top scored with a typically swashbuckling knock of 38 that included seven fours and a six and India seemed to be progressing along the right lines at 90 for two. But the rest of the batting crumbled in the face of the relentless pressure applied by the pace quartet of Holding, Roberts, Garner and Marshall.

And when the West Indies were 50 for one in reply with Vivian Richards in regal form, it seemed only a matter of a couple of hours before Clive Lloyd would be on the podium to receive the Prudential Cup for a third time. Instead there was a sensational collapse. Richards when 33 was out to an outstanding catch by Kapil Dev off Madan Lal and the medium pacer took two more quick wickets. Within next to no time West Indies had slid sharply to 76 for six.

The large Indian contingent at Lord’s barely believing what they were seeing shouted themselves hoarse with excitement. The West Indian tail did offer some resistance but India did not falter. The West Indies were bowled out for 140 and the third World Cup that started with a couple of sensations – Zimbabwe had also stunned Australia – ended in the biggest shock of all. It was a great victory, a notable triumph and a truly meritorious one for not only had India beaten the formidable West Indians not once but twice but they also added strong England for good measure.