OTD: When Viv Richards went berserk with a 99-ball masterclass in 1983

Poulomi Chakraborty

Viv Richards exceptional 149-run knock (Source: @nimishdubey/x.com)Viv Richards exceptional 149-run knock (Source: @nimishdubey/x.com)

The world cheers Sachin Tendulkar’s genius and Virat Kohli’s fire, but long before them, one legend reigned with unmatched grace and double the fury. Viv Richards, the ultimate cricket legend of the West Indies, who ruled cricket in his own terms, crafted a legacy that might take generations to break.

Whenever the Caribbean great used to step into the field, fire followed his footsteps, and rivals felt the fury. In 1983, Viv Richards unleashed one of his most ferocious innings, smashing 149 runs off just 99 balls and leaving Indian bowlers utterly stunned on the grand stage.

On December 7, Viv Richards stunned the cricketing world, driving the Caribbean team to a massive total and handing India a crushing defeat. 42 years later, let’s relive the moment.

Viv Richards burns through Indian bowling with a fiery 149

A Caribbean batter, filled with unreal talent, explosive aggression, fearless approach, outstanding strokeplay, and a never-give-up attitude, that is the Viv Richards for the world. But ask the bowlers, and you'll hear a very different story: a walking nightmare they dreaded facing. In 1983, the Indian bowlers faced the fiercest form of the legend.

After ending the 1983 World Cup with a massive heartbreak, the West Indies were eyeing revenge, and they got the perfect stage later this year when they faced India in a five-match ODI series. The Men in Blue were already struggling on their home soil, but the fourth ODI gave them a reason to remember the match in the wrong way.

Winning the toss, Team India opted to bowl first, and West Indies seized the opportunity. Bowling first, Chetan Sharma secured an early blood, dismissing Desmond Haynes. But the moment Viv Richards walked in, the atmosphere shifted. India had no idea a full-blown storm was about to erupt.

Coming to the crease, Viv Richards started taking off the ball out of the part from the very first delivery. With every hit, the Indian bowlers faced his fierce fury. After a fiery fifty, Viv Richards secured a sublime century. As the Men in Blue were having nightmares, the Caribbean batter was eyeing more destruction.

Chasing the 150-run mark, Richards was going berserk, raining big hits all over the ground, and Indian bowlers were scratching their heads. Just one run short of a magical 150, Kapil Dev finally ended the carnage, but not before Richards blasted 149 off 99 balls with 20 boundaries and three towering sixes at a strike rate of 150.50.

Along with his exceptional innings, he stitched a 221-run innings with Gordon Greenidge and helped score a total of 333 runs. In reply, India never found their rhythm as the Caribbean bowlers choked the chase and bundled them out for 229. With that, the West Indies defeated India by 104 runs.

In the end, it wasn’t just a knock; it was Viv Richards rewriting the limits of power-hitting before the world even realized what was possible. Channeling the heartbreak of the World Cup defeat earlier that year, the Caribbean legend crushed India on their own home soil. Richards has delivered many iconic knocks, but that 99-ball 149 will forever shine in cricket’s history like glittering gold.