You tell me, don't want to look: Rohit recalls Suryakumar's catch check moment in T20 WC 2024 final

India Gazette

3 days ago

New Delhi [India], June 29 (ANI): Seasoned opener Rohit Sharma took a trip down memory lane and reminisced about the torrent of emotions Indian players experienced when Suryakumar Yadav's match-defining catch to dismiss David Miller was being reviewed by the third umpire in last year's T20 World Cup final against South Africa.
On June 29, 2024, India ended its 17-year-long T20 World Cup drought at the expense of South Africa's heartbreak. India's dwindling 177-run defence found a new life after a spirited performance from the pace troika of Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh and Hardik Pandya in the death overs.
The equation came down to South Africa 16 runs short in the last over with Miller on strike. Pandya bore the responsibility of steering India past the finish line. He began his over with a wide full toss that Miller dispatched down the ground through the aerial route.
Suryakumar sprinted to his left from long-off and grabbed the ball. He lobbed it in the air as momentum took him past the boundary rope and then came back inside the field to complete a catch that determined the fate of the title.
'Even after [the catch], the umpires sent it up to the third umpire, and it was being checked whether Surya caught the ball or not, and everyone's hearts were in their mouths. I thought it had gone [for a six]. Because I was at [long-on], I was standing opposite Surya. I was already thinking '10 needed off five balls', but then I saw that it's coming to Surya,' Rohit told JioHotstar.
'It would have taken a blinder to take that catch. It would have taken a lot of effort to take that catch. Because when it was in the air, it looked like it'll cross the rope easily. But the way the wind was blowing, that pulled the ball a little bit into the ground, I think,' he added.
Rohit revealed that during the check conducted by the third umpire, he had a word with Suryakumar and told him that he didn't have it in him to look at the big screen for the decision.
'I was standing with Surya when they were checking the catch, and I told him ', You only tell me [if it was a catch or not], I don't want to look [at the big screen]'. 'No, no, I caught it.' But then I saw him on the side telling someone, 'Maybe, I don't know. But I caught it,' he said.
'And then they showed the zoom camera, and when the ball or feet touch the boundary rope, it moves, but nothing happened. So we were a little happy. But unless it comes on the board, you never know what the third umpire is thinking,' Rohit said, recalling the catch.
After the third umpire delivered the verdict, the scales heavily tilted in India's favour. India wrapped up the pulsating contest with a narrow seven-run triumph, and the scenes that unfolded after the game were simply serene. (ANI)