If the 1979 World Cup saw Sri Lanka, not a Test-playing nation then, beating India to register one of the earliest shocks of the tournament, in 1983, it was Zimbabwe’s turn. An associate member then who got an opportunity to play in the World Cup just by virtue of winning the ICC Trophy the year before, the African side was simply considered minnows that could be flayed at will. But Duncan Fletcher’s side had a fire inside it that nobody could foresee. Zimbawe were clubbed with the reigning champions West Indies, 1975 runners-up Australia and yet-to-do-something India in Group B. They took on Kim Hughes’ Australia in the first game of the group at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, on June 9, the day the tournament kicked off. Hughes won the toss and sent the opponents to bat first, expecting an early fold-up and a cakewalk. But not many had really kept into consideration the fact that Zimbabwe were no novice in cricket. In their days as Rhodesia before independence in 1980, Zimbabwe had connection with first-class cricket of neighbouring South Africa and that practice gave birth to a generation of impressive cricketers in that country. Add with that the exhaustive preparations…