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In 1983, world domination reckoned the Indians. There were many memorable moments that the tournament and many players who, etched their names in history forever, but none more deserving than Roger Binny, the unlikeliest of all heroes.

Born in Bangalore, Roger's childhood was spent more on the field than it was indoors at his study table or in the classroom. He was athletic from the get-go and excelled in multiple sports. Name any sport, it's likely that he would've tried his hand at it at least once.

> Before finally settling for cricket in his late teenage years, Binny represented his school at hockey and football tournaments. He even made the national record in javelin throw and held it for several years.

Ranji came calling when he was 20 years of age. After an average first season, he exceeded everyone's expectations in the next. Binny was used as a floater and could bat at virtually any number while still retaining the ability to send in numerous overs with the ball.

4 consistent seasons later, selectors found it impossible to ignore his bidding for a spot in the team and he debuted against neighbours from the other side of the border, Pakistan. At his home ground the Chinnaswamy Stadium of Bangalore, he became the first Anglo-Indian to put on the national team's jersey.

Solid performances with the bat and the ball cemented his place in the team but the 1983 World Cup immortalised his cricketing legacy forever. Nobody had expected much of the Indian team and winning the entire tournament seemed like a distant dream until it wasn't.

With 18 scalps, Roger topped the wicket-taking charts. Those weren't just insignificant wickets either- his spell against Australia guided the team to the semi-final and at Lords in the Final, he took the all-important wicket of Clive Lloyd, which sounded the death knell for the West Indies.

Rolling up his sleeves to roll the batsmen over; Image Source: The New Indian Express

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His ability to swing the ball came in handy quite often. When on a roll, Binny was unplayable with the ball and unbearable for the bowler with the bat. He had the ability to frustrate batsmen with his tight fielding as well, which helped the bowlers amply.

While his numbers in international cricket flatter to deceive, it would be an injustice to his talent to judge him by the sheer weight of his numbers. Even if one decided to do so, he doesn't come off very badly- 47 wickets at 32.63 and scored 830 runs at 23.05 in test matches and 629 runs at 16.12 and took 77 wickets at 29.35 in the limited-overs game.

Binny coached the U-19 Indian team to victory at the 2000 World Cup post-retirement and began his stint as a selector in 2012. Even though he has retained some relevance in Indian cricket a long time after his playing days were over, Roger Binny remains one of those players who lost out to the charisma of much more famous players, even when he arguably contributed as much as them to the win in '83 and perhaps, even more than some.

World Cup hero and one of the greatest cult personalities in Indian Cricket, Roger Binny was born on this day. Even though he isn't the most talked-about cricketer now, any narration of the heist of the 1983 World Cup remains incomplete without his name.