Balwinder Singh Sandhu is a former Indian cricketer best known as a right-arm medium-fast bowler who was part of the Indian team that won the 1983 Cricket World Cup in England. A useful lower-order batsman as well, Sandhu represented India in Test and One Day International cricket during the early to mid-1980s and later contributed to Indian cricket as a coach and commentator.
| Full name | Balwinder Singh Sandhu |
|---|---|
| Born | 3 August 1956, Bombay (now Mumbai), Maharashtra, India |
| Role | Right-arm medium-fast bowler; right-handed batsman |
| Domestic team | Bombay (Mumbai) in the Ranji Trophy |
| International career | India, 1982–1984 |
| Notable achievement | Member of India's 1983 Cricket World Cup-winning squad |
Sandhu was born in Bombay and came through the city's strong club and school cricket structure, which had long served as a feeder for the Bombay Ranji Trophy team. He developed as a swing bowler capable of generating late movement with the new ball, and earned a reputation as a competitive cricketer in the domestic circuit before being drafted into the national side.
Sandhu played first-class cricket for Bombay, one of the most successful sides in the history of the Ranji Trophy. He featured in Bombay's bowling attack through much of the early 1980s, and was a part of teams that contended for the national first-class title during that period.
Sandhu made his Test and One Day International debut for India in the early 1980s. While his international appearances were limited, he became a key new-ball partner to Kapil Dev in several matches, particularly during India's tours abroad.
Sandhu's most celebrated contribution came in the final of the 1983 Prudential World Cup at Lord's on 25 June 1983, where India defeated the West Indies to win their first World Cup title. Opening the bowling, Sandhu dismissed Gordon Greenidge with a sharply in-swinging delivery that bowled the opener through the gate, providing India an early breakthrough in defence of a modest total of 183. He also contributed valuable lower-order runs in the final, helping India past 180. The victory is regarded as a turning point in the global standing of Indian cricket.
Following his playing career, Sandhu remained associated with the game as a coach and mentor. He has worked with the Mumbai Ranji team and with younger cricketers at the domestic level, and has appeared as a cricket commentator and analyst on Indian television and in print.
Although his international career was short, Sandhu occupies a distinctive place in Indian cricket history as one of the bowlers who delivered the famous opening blow in the 1983 World Cup final. The 1983 triumph is widely credited with transforming the popularity and economics of cricket in India, and Sandhu is counted among the players who made that result possible.