Suryakumar Yadav’s catch to dismiss David Miller played an instrumental role in India’s T20 World Cup 2024 triumph. As the ball went up in the air, the billions of Indian fans had their hearts in their mouths momentarily, but Suryakumar’s acrobatic effort saved the day for the Men in Blue.
Forget fans, Indian captain Rohit Sharma also felt the same momentarily, covering his head with both hands, perhaps thinking it was all over.
Suryakumar Yadav showed great agility on the boundary ropes, caught the ball, threw it in the air, went over the ropes, and came back to grab it once again.
Renowned Kiwi commentator Ian Smith summed it up perfectly, describing it as one of the greatest catches in cricket’s history.
Had that ball sailed over the fence, South Africa would have left only 10 runs to score off the last five balls. The results could have been entirely different.
The most important boundary marker in Indian cricket history. pic.twitter.com/MmdY1XQn7C
— Ticker Merchant (@WillMarshall15) June 29, 2024
There was a lot of hue and cry on social media, with people claiming that it wasn’t a clean catch. Some South African fans claimed that SKY’s feet touched the ropes and others accused him of pushing the boundary cushion behind as they spotted a line on the grass.
However, a new fan-shot video has gone viral on the internet. The video clearly shows that no part of his feet touched the ground and it was a clean catch. Not only does it put all these conspiracy theories to rest but also highlights how difficult it was.
Best angle so far, this proves Surya took one of the cleanest blinders ever under immense pressure. TOP 👑👑 pic.twitter.com/xlskvBeLmL
— BALA (@erbmjha) July 4, 2024
“Best angle so far, this proves Surya took one of the cleanest blinders ever under immense pressure. TOP,” wrote one user.
This new angle makes the catch look even more impressive especially under pressure. pic.twitter.com/yJSmyG6UJt
— Trendulkar (@Trendulkar) July 4, 2024
“This new angle makes the catch look even more impressive, especially under pressure,” read another comment.
“THIS CATCH DESERVES PADMA SHRI AWARD,” demanded another fan.
THIS CATCH DESERVES PADMA SHRI AWARD😭🏆
— Sahil (@cover_pointt) July 4, 2024
As soon as SKY completed the catch, Rohit Sharma, who was fielding at long-off, couldn’t control his emotions and ran towards the pitch to congratulate bowler Hardik Pandya.
Even though SKY failed with the bat in the final, he redeemed himself with this blinder which has become part of Indian cricket’s folklore, earning the same status as Kapil Dev’s iconic catch that got rid of Viv Richards in the 1983 ODI World Cup final.