OTD In 1985: India Won The World Championship of Cricket Final By Beating Pakistan

On this day in 1985 (March 10), India and Pakistan met in the final of the Benson & Hedges World Championship of Cricket at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). Held to celebrate the 150th anniversary of European settlement in Victoria, the tournament featured all seven Test-playing nations. India entered the final undefeated, having already beaten Pakistan in the group stage.

The group stage of the 1985 World Championship of Cricket was a masterclass in dominance for the Indian side, while Pakistan navigated a more turbulent path to reach the knockout rounds. The seven teams were divided into two groups: Group A (Australia, England, India, Pakistan) and Group B (West Indies, New Zealand, Sri Lanka).

India finished at the top of Group A, winning all three of their matches with clinical precision. Their campaign was built on their spin-twin, featuring Laxman Sivaramakrishnan and Ravi Shastri, backed by a formidable opening pair.

In their first match, India restricted Pakistan to 183/8. Despite a middle-order failure, Mohammad Azharuddin and Roger Binny guided India to a 6-wicket victory. This set the tone for the rest of the tournament.

Pakistan’s journey to the final was less certain, as they had to battle back after their opening loss to India to secure the second spot in the group. After losing to India, Pakistan faced a must-win scenario against Australia and England. They managed to defeat Australia by 62 runs, thanks to a disciplined bowling performance led by Imran Khan and Mudassar Nazar.

In a high-pressure game against England, Pakistan’s bowlers defended a total of 213, winning by 67 runs. This victory eliminated both Australia and England from their own tournament.

India faced New Zealand in the semi-final, chasing down 207 comfortably to win by 7 wickets. Pakistan pulled off a major upset by defeating the mighty West Indies. They bowled out the Caribbean side for 159, with Azeem Hafeez taking 3 wickets, and chased it down with 7 wickets to spare.

This dual success ensured that the final would be an all-Asian affair, proving that the balance of power in world cricket had shifted toward the subcontinent.

In the final, Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat first, but they were immediately stifled by India's disciplined bowling attack. Kapil Dev, Madan Lal and Laxman Sivaramakrishnan dismantled the top order, leaving Pakistan struggling at 33/4.

Kapil Dev struck early, moving the ball both ways to dismantle the Pakistani top order. Pakistan found themselves reeling with mainstay batsmen like Mudassar Nazar and Qasim Umar back in the pavilion

A resilient partnership between Javed Miandad (48) and Imran Khan (35) provided some stability. The duo added 68 runs for the fifth wicket.

But the introduction of young leg-spinner Laxman Sivaramakrishnan broke the momentum. Sivaramakrishnan’s flight and turn proved too much for the lower order to handle.

Pakistan eventually crawled to a modest total of 176/9 in their allotted 50 overs, a score that looked well below par on a true MCG surface.

India’s chase was clinical. Openers Ravi Shastri and Kris Srikkanth negated the initial threat of Wasim Akram and Imran Khan with ease. Srikkanth played the role of the aggressor, taking risks and finding the boundary, while Shastri played the anchor role, rotating the strike and frustrating the Pakistani bowlers.

Their 103-run opening partnership effectively sucked the life out of the contest. Despite Srikkanth falling for 67, India coasted to the target, finishing at 177/2 with 17 balls to spare.

India won the match by 8 wickets to be crowned "World Champions," confirming their dominance following the 1983 World Cup victory.

The most iconic prize of the tournament was the Audi 100 sedan, awarded to Ravi Shastri for being named the "Champion of Champions" (Player of the Tournament). In a famous celebration, the entire Indian team climbed onto the car and drove it around the MCG for a victory lap.