Picture of Ganpati pandal inspired by Suryakumar Yadav's 2024 T20 World Cup final catch goes viral
Suryakumar Yadav was integral to India's 2024 T20 World Cup win. India ended their 11-year ICC trophy drought with their title triumph earlier this year.
The Men in Blue trumped South Africa by seven runs in a last-over thriller in the final. While Suryakumar scored just three runs in the summit clash, he made amends with his fielding brilliance at a crucial juncture. South Africa required 16 runs from the final over, with the dangerous David Miller still at the crease.
Bowling the all-important last over, Hardik Pandya bowled a full toss outside the off-stump. Miller hit it down the ground and it initially seemed the ball would clear the ropes.
However, Suryakumar showcased tremendous composure under pressure, taking an awe-inspiring juggling catch. The swashbuckling batter's effort is bound to be etched in the fans' memories for years to come.
Interestingly, amid the ongoing Ganeshotsav 2024, devotees from Vapi, Gujarat, built a Ganesh Pandal with the theme of Suryakumar's catch. The picture of the pandal has gone viral on social media.
It is worth mentioning that several fans have used India's 2024 T20 World Cup victory as a theme for Ganeshotsav 2024. The moment of the Indian players' victory parade was recreated by some devotees, in which Ganpati Bappa can be seen handing the trophy to skipper Rohit Sharma.
"The ball didn't cross the boundary line because of the Indian fans' prayers" - Rishabh Pant on Suryakumar Yadav's catch
Team India's keeper-batter Rishabh Pant recently recalled Suryakumar Yadav's boundary catch in the 2024 T20 World Cup final. He mentioned that when the ball hit David Miller's bat, he initially thought it would sail over the ropes for a six.
The 26-year-old suggested that the ball didn't cross the boundary because of the prayers of the Indian fans. Speaking on Tanmay Bhat's YouTube channel, he said (from 6:05):
"When the ball was in the air, it felt like everything was gone. When it hit the bat, it seemed like a sure-shot six. The ball didn't cross the boundary line because of the Indian fans' prayer."
It is worth mentioning that Suryakumar Yadav was named India's captain for the 20-over format after Rohit Sharma announced his T20I retirement following the 2024 T20 World Cup.