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How a running catch changed a World Cup final

Kapil's magic grab

Sambit Bal

The catch that won a World Cup

Background

When Richards played the stroke, most eyes went to the boundary © Getty Images

Nineteen eighty three was quite unlike 2007. India had already surpassed expectations by reaching the semi-finals. And even though they had beaten West Indies twice in the last three matches, once at Berbice and then again in their first group encounter, most Indian supporters were grateful for their mere presence in the final; they would have happily settled for an honourable defeat. But even that didn't seem likely when they were dismissed for 183. Balwinder Sandhu sparked slender hope by getting Gordon Greenidge early but when Viv Richards began to dismantle the bowlers, even the Indian players started preparing for a finish before the tea-break.

Moment

Then it happened. Madan Lal, about whom it was joked that Richards had time to play two strokes by the time the ball reached him, bowled one slightly short around the off-stump and Richrads set himself to deposit ball in to the stands behind midwicket. He played a touch early and only top-edged it. The ball went miles up in the air and when Kapil Dev, who was fielding at mid-on, began to run backwards, all of India waited. Few gave him a chance though. But Kapil glided on, head turned over his right shoulder, eyes fixed on the ball, taking the catch comfortably in the end, both hands cupping the ball. It was a perfect exhibition of graceful athleticism, belief, and coolness under pressure.

Boundary view - John Woodcock in the Wisden Almanack

"They [India] brought warmth and excitement in the place of dampness and depression. In the early years of limited-overs cricket no-one, themselves included, took India seriously. Their strength lay much more in waging battles of attrition. Now, on pitches which had had no time to quicken up after all the rain, their lack of fast bowling was not the hindrance it might have been."

What happened next

It gave India belief. And West Indies panicked. Larry Gomes, usually a man for crises, edged Madan Lal to slip. But the next big wicket was Clive Lloyd, who drove airily to mid-on. Jeff Dujon and Malcolm Marshall put on a fight, but Mohinder Amarnath winkled them out with his dibbly dobblies and in no time, the greatest upset in the history of the World Cup had happened. In hindsight, it can also be said that the catch changed the way cricket would be played, for it awoke India to the possibilities of one-day cricket.

Sambit Bal is the editor of Cricinfo and Cricinfo Magazine

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