Suryakumar Yadav’s sensational catch in the final of the 2024 T20 World Cup against South Africa in Barbados has sparked controversy and debate. The stunning grab from Suryakumar at the boundary line was so close that it led to a controversy.
Needing 16 runs from the final over, South Africa had David Miller on the strike. The southpaw hit a wide full toss from Hardik Pandya but Suryakumar was able to catch the ball inside the ropes at long-off, realized it just as he went over the boundary, and then came back in to complete an astonishing catch.
South Africa star Tabraiz Shamsi took a dig at the catch in a social media post on Thursday. “If they used this method to check the catch in the world cup final maybe it would have been given not out,” he wrote in a post. Along with the post was a video showing a local cricket match.
The post did not go down well with several social media users, with many saying Shami was ‘crying’ and that he was a sore loser. Then, Shamsi issued a clarification. “In case some people don’t understand that it’s meant to be a joke and no one is crying… let me explain it to you like a 4-year-old child. It’s A Joke,” he wrote.
Meanwhile, Suryakumar Yadav expressed his desire to “earn a spot” in the Indian Test team, saying that red-ball cricket is a priority for him. India is scheduled to play 10 Tests over the next few months. Although a regular in India’s white-ball setup, Suryakumar has played only one Test – against Australia in February 2023, scoring eight runs in his solitary Test inning. In the same year, he was named as one of the reserves in the ICC World Test Championship Final squad.
With Shreyas Iyer, Sarfaraz Khan, KL Rahul, and Rajat Patidar also fighting for a spot, Suryakumar acknowledges the uphill task ahead of him. “There are a lot of people who have worked really hard to earn their place and even I want to earn that spot again,” Suryakumar said as quoted by ICC.
“I made my debut for India in Tests. After that, I got injured as well. There were a lot of people who got an opportunity and have done well too. They deserve that opportunity right now,” he added.
The 33-year-old will return to play red-ball cricket in the Duleep Trophy – India’s domestic tournament – for his home side Mumbai. Suryakumar will also make his appearance in the Buchi Babu tournament.
