"Talk in the huddle was whether his foot touched the boundary ropes" - Kuldeep Yadav recalls Suryakumar Yadav's iconic 2024 T20 World Cup final catch
Team India spinner Kuldeep Yadav recalled Suryakumar Yadav's iconic catch in the 2024 T20 World Cup final against South Africa and how the players' thoughts were centered around whether he touched the boundary ropes. With the title-clinching game hanging in the balance with the Proteas needing 16 off the final over, David Miller struck a full toss from Hardik Pandya to the long-off region.
However, an acrobatic Surya pulled off the catch inches from the rope and threw the ball up as he was going over the boundary cushion. He then returned to the field of play and completed the spectacular grab.
The catch effectively sealed the game as India won by seven runs to clinch their second T20 World Cup title.
In an interview with Revsportz, Kuldeep detailed the team's thoughts awaiting the verdict on Surya's catch by saying:
"I was fielding at deep fine leg. The talk in the huddle was whether his foot touched the boundary ropes or not. And once when we watched the replays, there was a huge sigh of relief and we started feeling that the match will be in our favor."
Kuldeep also picked Harry Brook's dismissal in the England clash as his most cherished in the tournament.
"I enjoyed picking up the wicket of Harry Brook. He plays spin well and was batting well at that moment. The wicket of [Glenn] Maxwell was also important in the context of the match, and those two wickets I got against Afghanistan as well," stated Kuldeep.
Harry Brook was England's last throw of the dice in the semi-final and Kuldeep cleaned him up on 25 to help India complete the crushing win by 68 runs.
The left-arm spinner enjoyed a terrific 2024 T20 World Cup campaign with 10 wickets at an average of 13.90 and an economy of 6.95 in 5 outings.
"When the situation demands in a crunch match, the big players step up" - Kuldeep Yadav on Virat Kohli's final knock
Kuldeep Yadav praised Virat Kohli for coming up big and bailing India out of trouble in the grand finale against South Africa.
The champion batter endured a dismal tournament coming into the final with an average of under 11. However, with India reeling at 34/3 in the 5th over, Kohli scored a brilliant 59-ball 76 to propel the final score to a healthy 176/7 in 20 overs.
"It was evident once again that when the situation demands in a crunch match, the big players step up. And Virat bhai showed why he is regarded as a great player. Rohit bhai also batted well throughout the tournament. His knock against Australia was brilliant," said Kuldeep.
He added:
"He played a great knock which brought us into the match. It had class written over. We did not feel we would reach a score of 175 runs. But thanks to his brilliance, we ended up scoring 176. He took 16 runs against Rabada which gave us the momentum. When the situation demanded, he scored and that is the hallmark of a big player."
Kohli's heroics meant he was awarded the Player of the Final, helping India win their fourth World Cup title across formats. The veteran batter announced his T20I retirement during the post-match presentation, ending a stellar T20I career.