[Watch] Suryakumar Yadav reacts to Ian Smith's iconic commentary on his sensational catch of David Miller during T20 World Cup final
Former New Zealand cricketer Ian Smith was in the commentary box when Suryakumar Yadav pulled off an incredible catch to send back David Miller during the T20 World Cup final on Saturday (June 29). It proved to be a pivotal moment in the game as Team India won the match by seven runs to clinch their second T20 World Cup crown.
Ian Smith has had some incredible moments in the commentary box and that is one of the main reasons why he is well known as a commentator. Be it Grant Elliot's six that won New Zealand the semifinal against South Africa in the 2015 World Cup or the run-out of Martin Guptill that gave England the 2019 World Cup, Smith has called some iconic moments.
Here's what he said on air about Suryakumar Yadav's catch:
"Wide, Miller hits it, and he gets plenty of it, does he? No! What a catch! Oh my god! Unbelievable what I have just seen! Athleticism at its very best! This is quite an incredible moment, folks. It is just the best piece of skill I think I've ever seen in a game of cricket."
Here's what Suryakumar wrote with a saluting emoji next to it:
"Ohhh Ian Smith"
Suryakumar Yadav recalls his sensational catch
Speaking to The Indian Express, Suryakumar Yadav opened up on his thought process behind the sensational catch of David Miller. He revealed that his initial idea was to relay the ball towards Rohit Sharma at long on, but changed his mind as the Indian captain was at a distance.
On this, he said:
"When the ball was coming, for a second I looked at him and he looked at me. I ran and my aim was to catch the ball. Had he [Rohit] been closer, I would have thrown the ball towards him. But he was nowhere close. In those four to five seconds, whatever happened, I can't explain."
SKY was confident that his foot hadn't touched the boundary cushion. He added:
"When I pushed the ball [up and inside the playing area] and took the catch, I knew I hadn't touched the rope. The only thing I was cautious about was that when I pushed the ball back inside, my feet don't touch the rope. I knew it was a fair catch."
Suryakumar Yadav claimed that India could have still won the game had he not taken the catch and had the ball gone for a six as then the equation would have still been 10 needed from five balls. He credited the fielding drills of fielding coach T Dilip for his sensational effort.