"U play the most ridiculous shots" - Arjun Rampal lashes out at Rishabh Pant and Suryakumar Yadav during IND vs SA 2024 T20 World Cup final
Team India were off to a dismal start with the bat in the 2024 T20 World Cup final against South Africa at Kensington Oval in Barbados on Saturday, June 29. They lost three early wickets after Rohit Sharam won the toss and chose to bat first.
Sharma was the first one to depart, getting out while playing the sweep shot in the second over. To make matters worse, Rishabh Pant also perished for a duck in the same over, getting caught behind.
The onus was on Suryakumar Yadav to steady the ship for the men in Blue alongside opener Virat Kohli. However, he scored just three runs before being caught at deep backward square.
Bollywood actor Arjun Rampal was unimpressed by the shot selection of Pant and Suryakumar. Taking to his official X (formerly Twitter) handle, Rampal slammed the two Indian batters for throwing their wickets away in the high-pressure clash.
Arjun Rampal wrote:
"Can some explain what Pant and Yadhav were thinking? It’s a final. U under pressure on the back foot. U play the most ridiculous shots."
Keshav Maharaj got South Africa to a stunning start in the 2024 T20 World Cup final, getting rid of Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant. Senior speedster Kagiso Rabada provided them with another crucial breakthrough by sending back the dangerous Suryakumar Yadav.
Suryakumar Yadav played a crucial knock for India in the 2024 T20 World Cup semi-final
Suryakumar Yadav's early dismissal was a massive setback for the Indian team. The side needed their premier T20 batter to fire in the summit clash, but he failed to deliver.
The right-handed batter was one of the key architects in India's 68-run win over England in the semi-final. Suryakumar played an important 47-run knock under pressure. He formed a 73-run partnership alongside Rohit Sharma, which was instrumental in India registering an impressive 171-run total on a challenging pitch.
Suryakumar scored 199 runs from eight matches at an average of 28.42 in the 2024 T20 World Cup.