Rohit Sharma echoed the emotions of millions of Indian fans before Suryakumar Yadav took a heart-stopping catch in the final over of South Africa’s chase against India in the T20 World Cup 2024 final on Saturday, June 29. In a video that is going viral on social media, Rohit Sharma can be seen holding his breadth in anticipation when David Miller hit the full-toss from Hardik Pandya in the air, toward the long-off boundary.
Rohit Sharma seemingly gave up hope after he saw the ball fly into the air and travel toward the long-off stands. However, his nervous wait ended in elation after Suryakumar Yadav pulled off a blinder along the boundary cushion.
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South Africa needed 16 from the last over and David Miller was on strike when Rohit Sharma handed the responsibility of bowling the last over to Hardik Pandya. David Miller could not have asked for an easier delivery to release pressure as he received a wide full-toss. Miller hit it into the air, bidding to clear long-off, but Suryakumar, who was stationed a long-off, not just managed to prevent a boundary but took a sensational catch to end Miller’s innings.
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Suryakumar Yadav timed his jump to perfection and made sure he did not touch the boundary cushion when he held the ball in hand. Suryakumar went off the field and jumped over the rope to catch the rebound inside the boundary cushion and complete what will be one of the most memorable catches in India’s World Cup history.
South Africa managed just 9 runs in the last over and lost the final by 7 runs. The Proteas brought the equation down to 30 off 30 in their chase of 177 and were in the driver’s seat with a rampaging Heinrich Klaasen in the middle. However, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh and Hardik held their nerves and turned the game around in India’s favour.
Speaking to India Today, Suryakumar Yadav reflected on the catch, explaining the nervous few seconds that had an entire nation holding its breath.
“Now it’s easy to say. But at that time, it felt like a trophy was sailing over the boundary to the other side. But yeah, in that moment, you don’t think the ball will cross the boundary line and go for six. Whatever was in my control, I tried it. And wind was also a good factor at that moment and helped me a little bit,” he said.
Hasibur Rahaman is a passionate sports journalist. He covers everything from cricket to field hockey, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis of sporting events, both within India and on the international stage.
