Mohinder Amarnath will always be remembered as a giant-hearted cricketer who stood tall against the fiercest attacks, carried the bruises with pride, and turned every setback into a comeback.
Legendary all-rounder Mohinder Amarnath, hero of India's 1983 triumph, celebrated his milestone 75th birthday on Wednesday, September 24, 2025.
Amarnath was the architect-in-chief of India's maiden 50-over World Cup win in 1983, claiming man of the match awards in both the semi-final and final to stop Clive Lloyd's all-conquering West Indies from completing a historic title hat-trick.
Son of Lala Amarnath, India's first Test captain post independence, Amarnath, fondly referred to as 'Jimmy', was Indian cricket's ultimate comeback man -- a gusty batter who refused to bow down. He holds the unique record of being dropped and recalled more times than any other cricketer!
What makes him special is his reputation as India's bravest batter against fast bowling, standing tall against the fiercest pacemen of his generation.
His illustrious Test career spanned 69 Tests, in which he amassed 4,378 runs at an average of 42.50, with 11 centuries and 24 fifties.
Not many can forget when India skipper Sunil Gavaskar told the selectors that he would not go for the 1982-1983 tour of Pakistan to face the pace of Imran Khan, Sarfaraz Nawaz and company without Amarnath in the side.
At that stage, Amarnath had been out of the national side for three years, missing 23 consecutive Tests.
'Jimmy is the best player of pace in the country,' Gavaskar had said forcing the selectors' hand.
That 1982-1983 tour proved a turning point for Amarnath, who made most of the opportunity with some dazzling performances in his comeback series -- 109 not out at Lahore; 5 and 3 at Karachi; 22 and 78 at Faisalabad; 61 and 64 at Hyderabad (Sind); 120 at Lahore; 19 and 103 not out at Karachi.
This stunning batting performance came in a series in which Imran Khan unveiled the dreaded reverse swing to knock over a world record 40 wickets,
Amarnath aggregated a series high tally of 584 runs in ten innings at an incredible average of 73, while the next best was Gavaskar's 48.22.
That same year, against the West Indies, Amarnath scored 58 and 117 at Port of Spain; 91 and 80 at Bridgetown and 54 and 116 at Antigua, making those runs against the devastating pace attack of Michael Holding, Joel Garner, Andy Roberts and Malcolm Marshall.
In the process, he completed 1,000 Test runs before May, a world record at the time.
Then came his crowning moment. At the iconic Lord's in the 1983 World Cup final, he scored a battling 26 and then returned match-winning figures of 3/12 in seven overs to win the Man of the Match award as India under Kapil Dev humbled twice world champions West Indies to lift the World Cup.
Wisden recognised his golden year by naming him one of its Cricketers of the Year for 1983.
However, in a cruel irony, Amarnath's career suffered a huge twist. He struggled with the bat in the home series against the West Indies, where he managed just a single run in six innings, falling for ducks five time in the series.
Not the one to give up easily, Amarnath bounced back in fine style, scoring 174 runs in his next series against Pakistan at an average of 87 before he made 407 runs in the five Test series against England at home, with three fifties.
He last played for India in the three Test series against the West Indies in 1987-1988 before he retired the following year.
Since his debut in 1969, he was India's ultimate team man -- the dependable support pillar around which the Gavaskars, Vishwanaths and Vengsarkars built their masterful knocks.
He was fearless and outspoken off the field too. After his axing for the Test series against New Zealand at home in 1988 he infamously branded the national selectors as 'a bunch of jokers' -- a remark which many felt was aimed towards then chief selector Raj Singh Dungarpur.
Sadly, Amarnath never got the chance to announce a graceful retirement. Instead, this large-hearted cricketer kept himself in peak fitness, forever preparing for a recall that never arrived.
Mohinder Amarnath will always be remembered as a giant-hearted cricketer who stood tall against the fiercest attacks, carried the bruises with pride, and turned every setback into a comeback.
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