Few are aware that a tall handsome Anglo-Indian, named Roger Michael Humphery Binny, played a very big role in India's World Cup triumph in England in 1983.
The Bangalore-born, well-built lad was a natural pace bowler, with an impressive action. He could bowl away-swingers most naturally. With an aggregate of 18 wickets for 336 runs, at a very low average of 18.66 runs in eight games, the all-rounder from Karnataka was the most successful bowler in the biggest tournament of the shorter version of the game.
In the process, Binny obliterated the name of the Australian fast bowler Gary Gilmour from the record books. Gilmour had taken 11 wickets (avg: 5.64), the most in a single World Cup, in only two matches in the inaugural edition in England in 1975.
India won six out of eight matches it played in the '83 World Cup.
Following are the results of the eight matches and Binny's performances in them:
(1) Beat West Indies by 34 runs at Manchester.
It was the first defeat suffered by the West Indies, in their tenth match in the three World Cups.
Roger Binny's bowling figures were: 12-1-48-3
(2) Beat Zimbabwe by 5 wickets at Liecester.
Binny's bowling figures were: 11-2-25-2
(3) Lost to Australia by 162 runs at Nottingham.
Binny's bowling figures were: 12-0-52-1
(4) Lost to West Indies by 66 runs at the Oval.
Binny's bowling figures were : 12-0-71-3
(5) Beat Zimbabwe by 31 runs at Turnbridge Wells.
Binny's bowling figures were: 11-2-45-2.
(6) Beat Australia by 118 runs at Chelmsford.
Binny's bowling figures were: 8-2-29-4. This fetched him the man of the match award.
(7) Beat England in the semi-finals by 6 wickets, at Manchester.
Binny's bowling figures were: 12-1-43-2.
(8) Beat the West Indies in the final by 43 runs, at Lord's.
Binny's bowling figures were: 10-1-23-1.
Binny's 18 victims included batting greats like Vivian Richards (once) and Clive Lloyd (twice) of the West Indies and Allan Border (once) of Australia.
