Suryakumar Yadav talked about that match-winning catch of David Miller in the recent India v South Africa final of the T20 World Cup 2024. That catch of Miller proved to be the final nail in the Proteas chase, which got derailed in the last five overs.
South Africa needed 16 runs off the last over to win their first ICC T20 title and David Miller was at the crease, facing Hardik Pandya. Pandya bowled a wide full toss and the ball was seemingly sailing over the boundary at long off.
However, Suryakumar Yadav, stationed at the position, made a sprint and took the catch, but had to throw the ball back in the air as he was going past the boundary line and came back into the field to complete an astonishing catch.
“Rohit bhai usually never stands at long-on but at that moment he was there. So when the ball was coming, for a second I looked at him and he looked at me. I ran and my aim was to catch the ball. Had he [Rohit] been closer, I would have thrown the ball towards him. But he was nowhere close. In those four to five seconds, whatever happened, I can’t explain,” Surya told Indian Express.
David Miller’s wicket meant Proteas tailenders had to get 16 runs in 5 balls, but they fell short by 7 runs, despite a boundary hit by Kagiso Rabada.
The only thing I was cautious….: Suryakumar Yadav on whether the catch was clean
In the same interview, Suryakumar Yadav was asked whether the catch was clean or did his foot touched the boundary padding, given that the replays were inconclusive.
“When I pushed the ball [up and inside the playing area] and took the catch, I knew I hadn’t touched the rope. The only thing I was cautious about was that when I pushed the ball back inside, my feet don’t touch the rope. I knew it was a fair catch. In hindsight, anything could have happened. If the ball had gone for six, the equation would have been five balls, ten runs. We might have still won, but the margin would have been closer,” Surya added.
Suryakumar Yadav also spoke about how he soaked in the feeling of becoming a world champion.
“In those four to five seconds, whatever happened, I can’t explain. The amount of reaction I have been getting for that, people have been calling, messaging; there are more than 1000 unread WhatsApp messages on my phone. The catch is all over social media. I’m grateful that I was there in those five seconds of play,” Surya signed off.
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