Whenever there is mention of those select players in the history of Indian cricket who, with their hard work and determination, took Team India from the ground up, the name of Madan Lal will be taken with pride.
74-year-old Madan Lal is not just a player, but has been the ‘troubleshooter’ of Indian cricket, who always kept the team afloat in difficult times. Madan Lal played an important role in India’s historic victory against West Indies in the 1983 World Cup final, who snatched the ball from the then captain Kapil Dev and started bowling at the bowling end. What happened after that was recorded in the pages of history.
Born on 20 March 1951 in Amritsar, Punjab, Madan Lal started his career as a medium-pace fast bowler and useful lower-order batsman. His style of playing was very combative. He never accepted defeat on the field, even if the most dangerous batsman in the world was standing in front of him. Madan Lal, who debuted in 1974, played 39 Tests and 67 ODI matches for India, but his real identity came from the 1983 World Cup.
Madan Lal created history by taking the wicket of Viv Richards
25 June 1983, Lord’s ground and in front was the considered invincible West Indies team. India had scored only 183 runs and Viv Richards was snatching the match from India’s grasp with his stormy batting. Richards was playing after scoring 33 runs and the hopes of the Indian fans were beginning to fade. Then Madan Lal snatched the ball from captain Kapil Dev and started bowling himself. Madan Lal trapped Richards on one of his short pitched balls in that over. Richards played a pull shot and Kapil Dev, running backwards, took that historic catch. Madan Lal took 3 wickets in that final (Richards, Haynes and Gomes) and played the most important role in making India the world champion for the first time. That spell of his is still considered the most ‘game changing’ spell of Indian cricket.
‘Maharaja’ of domestic cricket
Apart from international cricket, Madan Lal’s first-class record is no less than a miracle. He scored more than 10,000 runs and took 625 wickets while playing for Delhi and Punjab. His captaincy and performance in Ranji Trophy gave a new identity to Delhi cricket. His fitness was such that he could bowl on the same wicket for hours.
Madan Lal played an important role in winning the World Cup.
‘I wanted to get the wicket of Richards’
The story of that historic over by Madan Lal in his own words sounds like a scene from a thriller film. In the 1983 final, when Viv Richards was destroying the Indian bowlers, Madan Lal had given away 21 runs in his last three overs. In such a situation, it was difficult for any captain to trust him again, but there was a different stubbornness and confidence within Madan Lal. Without wasting any time, he himself came forward and asked for the ball from captain Kapil Dev. Even today, Madan Lal recalls that if he had delayed even by a few seconds, perhaps someone else would have got that over and the history of cricket would have been different. Madan Lal’s unwavering belief that I have to take the wicket of Richards. This is the biggest proof of his passion for the game and his spirit of never giving up.
Role of coach and selector
Even after retirement, Madan Lal did not stay away from cricket. He took over the responsibility of the head coach of the Indian team during 1996-97. After this he also served as a national selector. He has always been in favor of nurturing young talents and giving them opportunities. Madan Lal was the second most successful Indian bowler with 17 wickets in the 1983 World Cup. In his Test career, he took 71 wickets in 39 matches and scored 1,042 runs. Whereas in his ODI career, he took 73 wickets in 67 matches and scored 401 runs.