New Delhi: Suryakumar Yadav is glad to have left an imprint on the outcome of the T20 World Cup final with a stunning catch that helped India beat South Africa by seven runs.
Chasing a 177-run target, South Africa needed 16 runs to win from the final over. David Miller lifted the first ball, a wide full toss from Hardik Pandya, towards the long-off fence but Yadav took a juggling catch, balancing his body movement close to the rope and then flicking the ball in before crossing the rope and coming in to complete the catch.
It brought back memories of Kapil Dev’s superb catch against West Indies in the 1983 World Cup final at Lord’s. That catch had helped India win their maiden ODI World Cup title.
Yadav’s catch in Bridgetown, Barbados, also had a telling impact on the match as India won by a narrow margin of seven runs.
“I am just grateful to be in that moment to do something special for the country…god’s plan it was,” Suryakumar told PTI on Monday.
Yadav’s attempt was a shinning example of game awareness, body balance and athleticism, whoch was praised by the team’s fielding coach T Dilip.
“When the moment comes, it’s his decision and awareness of rope, that’s very important, and knowing with confidence that he can throw and come back, it’s a decision-making at that time, and he got on to that,” Dilip had earlier said.
“We fielded like a pack of wolves, as Rahul bhai and Rohit keep saying… Everybody knew their roles but together we hunted every opportunity which came our way leaving no stone unturned.”
It was India’s second T20 World Cup victory and first since winning its inaugural edition in 2007. It also ended India’s 11-year wait for a major ICC title.
The Rohit Sharma-led side is stuck in Bridgetown due to a hurricane that has hit the Caribbean island and forced complete shutdown of air services.
Suryakumar Yadav took a brilliant catch to help India beat South Africa an win the T20 World Cup. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
