‘I knew if I…’: Suryakumar breaks silence on controversial catch in T20 World Cup final

Indian cricketer Suryakumar Yadav has defended his crucial catch of David Miller in the last over of the T20 World Cup final, saying he did not touch the boundary rope despite videos on social media suggesting otherwise.

The catch played a key role in India’s win over South Africa in Barbados, with Yadav stressing that he was fully aware of his positioning.

“When I pushed the ball and caught the ball, I knew I had not touched the rope,” Yadav said while speaking to the media.

Yadav explained the situation, noting that normally Rohit Sharma does not play as a long-on.

“Rohit bhai “I was there and we exchanged a look. I ran to catch the ball and my only objective was to secure it. If Rohit had been closer, I would have thrown the ball towards him, but he wasn’t,” he said.

Reflecting on that moment, Yadav admitted that had the ball been bowled at six runs, the match could have been much closer. “Had the ball been bowled at six runs, the equation would have been five balls, ten runs. We might have still won, but the margin would have been narrower,” he noted.

Yadav attributed his performance to rigorous training sessions.

“Our fielding coach T Dilip has introduced a fielding medal after every match, which motivates us to give our best. The catch I took is something I have practiced on different pitches depending on the wind,” he said.

He stressed the importance of these training sessions, especially those that take place the day before the match.

“We had a quality fielding session with over ten high catches, flat catches, direct hits and slip catches. Yesterday’s catch was the reward for the hard work put in over the years,” Yadav concluded.