How it unfolded
The West Indies were the two-time defending champions, while India had won only a single World Cup match before this tournament. Facing the Caribbean pace attack, with Andy Roberts taking 3 for 32, India was bowled out for just 183 in 54.4 overs; Krishnamachari Srikkanth's 38 was the top score. With the target so low, the match looked settled. But cracks appeared when Balwinder Sandhu bowled Gordon Greenidge with a ball that nipped back in, and when Viv Richards, on 33, pulled a Madan Lal delivery, captain Kapil Dev turned his back and sprinted more than 20 yards from midwicket to complete the catch. The West Indies collapsed entirely from there, bowled out for 140 in 52 overs. Mohinder Amarnath, with 26 runs and figures of 3 for 12, was named Man of the Match. It was India's first world title and the tournament's biggest upset by far.
Why it still matters
The match that shifted cricket's center of gravity from Britain and the Caribbean to the subcontinent. The win generated an explosion of interest in India just as television was spreading nationwide, and the resulting boom in broadcast and sponsorship revenue made India the sport's financial center. The capital and audience base built here made it possible for the Indian Premier League to launch in 2008 as the richest cricket competition in the world.