Mohinder Amarnath was the man of the match in both the semi-final and the final of the 1983 World Cup, the tournament that changed Indian cricket. With gentle medium pace and a calm head with the bat, he helped turn India from outsiders into world champions at Lord’s. Away from that summer, he was one of the bravest batters of his era against fast bowling and was dropped and recalled so often that he became known as the comeback man of Indian cricket.
Name: Mohinder Amarnath Bhardwaj | Born: 24 September 1950, Patiala, Punjab | Sport: Cricket | Position: Right-handed batter and right-arm medium-pace bowler
A cricketing family
Mohinder, known throughout the game as “Jimmy”, was born in Patiala into one of Indian cricket’s best-known families. His father, Lala Amarnath, scored India’s first Test century and was the country’s first captain after independence. His brother Surinder also played Test cricket for India. Growing up around the game gave Mohinder an early education in technique and temperament, but it also meant his career was watched closely from the start.
Debut and the long road to a regular place
He made his Test debut against Australia at Madras on 24 December 1969. For much of the 1970s he was in and out of the side, sometimes picked as an all-rounder, sometimes as a batter, and often left out altogether. Each time he came back, he seemed to have tightened his game a little more. He was willing to take blows on the body rather than give his wicket away, at a time when West Indies and Pakistan had some of the fastest bowlers the game has known.
The great run of 1982-83
Amarnath’s peak came in the 1982-83 season, when India toured Pakistan and then the West Indies. Across 11 Tests, five in Pakistan and six in the Caribbean, he scored more than 1,000 runs against attacks led by Imran Khan and the West Indies fast bowlers. He shared the man of the series award with Imran in Pakistan. For many Indian followers, that sequence of innings remains the finest example of an Indian batter standing up to sustained pace.
World Cup semi-final and final, 1983
Those performances were followed by the 1983 World Cup in England. In the semi-final against the hosts at Old Trafford, Amarnath bowled 12 overs for 27 runs, took the wickets of David Gower and Mike Gatting, and then scored 46 as India reached the final. He was named man of the match.
In the final at Lord’s, India made only 183 against a West Indies side chasing a third straight title. Amarnath scored 26 and then took 3 for 12 in seven overs as West Indies were bowled out for 140. He was again man of the match, and India were world champions for the first time.
Unusual dismissals and a long career
Amarnath’s career also produced some rare entries in the scorebook. On 9 February 1986 he became the first batter to be given out handled the ball in a one-day international, and he was also dismissed obstructing the field and hit wicket during his career. These are curiosities, but they reflect a player who spent a long time at the crease in every kind of match.
He played 69 Tests and finished with 4,378 runs at 42.50, including 11 centuries and a highest score of 138, along with 32 wickets. In 85 one-day internationals he scored 1,924 runs, with a best of 102 not out, and took 46 wickets.
Honours
The BCCI awarded Amarnath the Col. C. K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009. His two man of the match performances at the 1983 World Cup are still regarded as among the most important contributions any Indian cricketer has made in a single tournament.
Career record and honours
- Tests: 69 matches, 4,378 runs, average 42.50, 11 centuries, 24 fifties, highest score 138, 32 wickets
- One-day internationals: 85 matches, 1,924 runs, average 30.53, highest score 102 not out, 46 wickets
- Test debut: 24 December 1969 v Australia, Madras
- More than 1,000 Test runs in 11 Tests in Pakistan and the West Indies, 1982-83
- Joint man of the series, Pakistan v India, 1982-83
- Man of the match, 1983 World Cup semi-final and final
- World Cup winner, 1983
- Col. C. K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award, 2009
