The former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has made a savage reply to the Australian media for their questioning act towards the catch of Suryakumar Yadav, which helped India lift their second Men’s T20 World Cup title, by getting the better of South Africa, at the Kensington Oval, in Bridgetown, Barbados.
The incident took place on the first ball of the last over during the final of the tournament. David Miller found himself on strike, with 16 runs being required in the last six balls of the game, as Hardik Pandya steamed in to bowl that over.
The India all-rounder looked to go for the wide yorker, in an aim to keep the ball away from the hitting zone of Miller. However, under pressure, it turned out to be a low full toss, and the left-handed explosive batter reached for the shot, and nailed it. The only thing he missed was not having the right elevation on that delivery that he expected.
‘…Blatant cheating acts done by the Aussies…’- Sunil Gavaskar on Suryakumar Yadav’s catch
Miller nailed the shot, as the ball was flying in the air, increasing the heart-beats of all the Indian players on the ground, along with the billions of fans around the globe. There came Suryakumar Yadav, at long-on.
Also Read: Suryakumar Yadav Says He Knew He Hadn’t Touch The Rope While Taking David Miller’s Catch
The Mumbai-born came running in, grabbed the catch, and realized the position of the cushion, to put the ball in the air. During the time the ball was flying in the air, Suryakumar somehow managed to stabilize him, before grabbing the catch by getting inside the rope, as with the wicket of Miller, the chase was all but done from South Africa’s prospect.
But the Australian media hasn’t found the catch legal, as some of the videos show a line before the boundary cushion, as they feel that somehow the rope has been pushed back before that ball, and that’s where India has cheated to get the result in their favor.
The legendary batter of the national team, Sunil Gavaskar has walked ahead in supporting the fine catch of Suryakumar Yadav, as the veteran feels that it was a marvelous catch, given how the fielder had to use his presence of mind, under pressure, to realize the position of the cushion and grab the catch properly.
‘There was also a question raised in an Australian paper about the fairness of the catch that Suryakumar Yadav took to dismiss David Miller in the final.’ The former India captain Sunil Gavaskar expressed in his column for the Sportstar. ‘All the replays were quite clear that SKY had done a marvelous balancing act as he took the catch and flicked the ball up in the air before he crossed the boundary rope and then jumped in the air and caught the ball within the boundary to complete a fabulous catch.’
The actual incident was different from how it was designed. Generally, the dimensions of the ground are not the same for each of the strips that they play on. And to manage the distance between the rope and the pitch, sometimes that cushion on the boundary line needs to be shifted.
Also Read: Ricky Ponting Praises Suryakumar Yadav’s Catch In T20 World Cup Final
The final was being played on a new track, and to make sure the equal length between the rope and the strip, the cushion was pushed back, and that was from the beginning of the game.
Gavaskar also slammed the writer of the article and advised him to watch the video of the ‘most blatant cheating acts’ done by the Australian side in the past.
‘Nobody questioned the catch, but the writer of the article did. He may be interested to see the video floating around of the 10 most blatant cheating acts done by the Aussies before trying to point a finger at SKY (Suryakumar Yadav). Pot calling the kettle black indeed.’ The former opener concluded.