Netizens heaped rich praise on Suryakumar Yadav (SKY) as Team India captured a historic T20 World Cup title after beating South Africa in the tournament's final in Barbados during the weekend.
Fans termed Suryakumar Yadav the “real game-changer” of the nerve-wracking clash between the two sides in the Caribbean because it was his moment of brilliance that changed the match upside down.
Suryakumar Yadav's catch of David Miller proved to be the game-defining moment in the nail-biting encounter. But when the Proteas batter smashed the ball towards the long-off boundary, Suryakumar Yadav's heart was in his mouth as a six would have put the Aiden Markram-led side in the commanding position in the match.
However, Suryakumar Yadav pulled off an absolute stunner to end South African hopes as David Miller was the last recognized batter in the middle. While the third umpire gave his catch a clean chit, people on social media have been labeling him a “cheater” after video footage showed his foot touching the rope.
The evidence, though, has remained inconclusive.
Amid social media chatter about the authenticity of his match-changing catch in the 2024 T20 World Cup final against South Africa that led to the dismissal of David Miller, Suryakumar Yadav has broken his silence over the whole controversy.
Opening about the controversy in an interaction with an Indian publication, Suryakumar Yadav rubbished the cheating allegations, asserting that he did not touch the boundary line while attempting the 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,” Suryakumar Yadav told the Indian Express.
“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,” he added.
“Our fielding coach (T) Dilip sir has said that Surya, Virat (Kohli), Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja should always field at the hotspot areas, where there is the greatest chance of the ball going,” Suryakumar Yadav continued.
“The catch I took, I have practised it at different grounds, depending on the wind. I was standing a bit wide because Hardik [Pandya] and Rohit bhai had put a field for the wide yorker, and Miller had hit straight. My mind was clear that I have to catch it come what may,” he revealed.
“A day before the game, we do a quality fielding session where for 10-12 minutes, we have more than ten high catches, flat catches, direct hits, slip catching. It's not a one-day exercise, I practise these kinds of catches during IPL, during bilateral series. Yesterday's catch was the reward of the hard work done over the years,” Suryakumar Yadav explained.
“I remember last August, I was at around 93kg, maybe because I was having too much local food. I got injured and then had a hernia operation. I went to NCA [BCCI's National Cricket Academy] from January 1 to April 1 [this year]. Even during off days, I used to not go home because I knew Monday morning would be my session. I couldn't waste time,” he noted.
“I ate proper food prepared by my chef. I used to sleep sharp at 10pm and get up early in the morning. Even now, I have decided on my meals for the next week with the help of the chef and nutritionist; they decide how much protein and fat I will have daily, how much water I need to take with my food. We have a group for it which also has my wife. They decide and I just follow. It helped me here,” Suryakumar Yadav mentioned.
“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,” he concluded.
On Saturday, in the summit clash of the 2024 T20 World Cup against South Africa, India won the toss and decided to bat first.
The Men in Blue lost two early wickets of captain Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant. Nevertheless, on the sport's biggest stage, Virat Kohli put his hand up as he scored an impressive 76 off 59 balls.
Virat Kohli held the Indian innings together as he blocked one end while the other batters like Axar Patel and Shivam Dube played around him.
One must not forget that the Delhi-born cricketer was appearing in the final after seven consecutive failures in the 2024 T20 World Cup, including ducks against the USA and Australia.
But when the Indian cricket team found itself in a deep hole, and when it mattered the most, Virat Kohli was the one who delivered the goods, proving Rohit Sharma and head coach Rahul Dravid correct.
With the dry pitch at the Kensington Oval making run-scoring difficult for batters, Virat Kohli quickly realized that it wasn't a track to play aggressive cricket and quickly shifted gears.
From an aggressor, he transformed himself into an accumulator, who anchored the Indian innings, allowing Axar Patel and Shivam Dube to play their natural game. The tactic gave them the license to go for the kill. While the former contributed 47 off 31, the latter played an entertaining cameo of 27 off 16 balls.
More importantly, the two were involved in crucial partnerships of 72 and 57 runs, respectively, with Virat Kohli.
The trinity was responsible for India's eventual total of 176/7 in their allocated 20 overs.
Needing 177 to clinch their maiden International Cricket Council (ICC) title, South Africa was rocked back early with India's pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah striking in the second over before his new ball partner Arshdeep Singh removed the Proteas skipper Aiden Markram in the third.
At 2/12, it looked like the South African essay was about to crumble. Things, however, started to turn rapidly as the veteran Quinton de Kock and Tristan Stubbs got together to stitch a partnership of 58 runs.
Subsequently, the momentum swung completely in favor of South Africa as Heinrich Klaasen took on the Indian spinners, and brought down the equation to 30 runs off 30 balls.
Just when it appeared certain that the Rainbow nation would run away with the T20 World Cup trophy in the Caribbean, a short injury break taken by Rishabh Pant went on to turn the match on its head.
The break caused a lapse in Heinrich Klaasen's concentration, who lost his wicket to Hardik Pandya for 52 off 27 deliveries in the 17th over.
Jasprit Bumrah bowled the 18th over and gave nothing away. He even scalped Marko Jenson to have one foot in the door.
With pressure mounting on David Miller and only the tail to follow, the South Africans wilted under pressure as India snatched defeat from the hands of defeat to claim their first T20 World Cup title after 17 years.
Team India's 7-run victory over South Africa ensured that the sub-continental powerhouse ended their 11-year wait for an ICC title and their 13-year drought from World Cups.
India's last World Cup win was in 2011, while they won their maiden T20 World Cup crown in 2007. Both of these victories in white-ball cricket came under the legendary MS Dhoni.