Suryakumar Yadav took one of the most iconic catches in Indian cricket history, which helped the Men in Blue to clinch their second T20 World Cup title in Barbados on Saturday (June 29).
In the title clash, India all-rounder Hardik Pandya was tasked to defend 16 runs in the final over against South Africa.
Hardik’s first delivery was a low full toss, and David Miller lofted it straight down the ground to give mini-heartbreak to the Indian fans. However, Suryakumar held his nerves and grabbed an incredible catch inches away from the boundary rope at long-off.
Just when the momentum was taking him beyond the ropes, Surya showed remarkable presence of mind as he released the ball before coming back to complete the catch.
After the nail-biting final, however, a couple of videos went viral on social media highlighting the cushion of the boundary rope, apparently being slightly pushed back.
Many Proteas fans also claimed that Suryakumar’s left foot may have brushed the boundary cushion and the TV umpire needed to watch the replay from some more angles to make the final decision.
Amid the outrage, South African legend Shaun Pollock has refuted all the conspiracy theories, saying that the catch was clean. He also hailed Suryakumar Yadav for his exceptional bit of athleticism.
"The catch was fine. The cushion had moved, but that's in the course of the game. It had nothing to do with Surya. He didn't stand on the cushion. Brilliant bit of skill," Pollock said in a video doing rounds on social media.
Coming to the match, the Men in Blue posted a stiff total of 176/7 on the board after opting to bat first, courtesy of good knocks from Virat Kohli (76 off 59) and Akshar Patel (47 off 31). Shivam Dube also played a brilliant cameo of 16-ball 27 in the death overs.
In reply, South Africa were cruising when Heinrich Klaasen (52 off 27) was at the crease. After Klaasen’s wicket, however, they lost the plot as the Indian pace trio of Jasprit Bumrah (2-18), Hardik Pandya (3-20) and Arshdeep Singh (2-20) pulled things back in the last five overs to restrict the Proteas to 169/8 in 20 overs.
