New Delhi [India], August 3 (ANI): Former India cricketer and head coach Ravi Shastri believes Suryakumar Yadav’s catch in the final over was the game-changing moment in the T20 World Cup final against South Africa.
India went unbeaten in the final at Barabos to face South Africa, who stormed into the final without losing a single match.
With 30 runs needed in the final five overs in the chase of 177, India pacers Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh pulled off a remarkable effort to pull India back into the game.
Pandya was handed the ball to bowl the final over to defend 16 runs. On his first ball, David Miller was on strike and with a wild swing, he launched the ball into the air. The ball looked destined to cross the boundary rope.
Suryakumar Yadav came sprinting towards the ball out of nowhere and juggled across the boundary rope to complete the match-winning moment in the final.
“I think that was a game changer because you know what David [Miller] can do. Another big shot [from Miller], and then, you know, the game’s in the balance. So, I thought the timing couldn’t have been better,” Shastri said in the ICC Review.
Pandya went on to save the remaining runs and seal off a 7-run win in the final to end India’s 13-year-long ICC World Cup trophy drought.
Apart from Suryakumar’s match-winning catch, there were a couple of key performances from Indian players that played a part in India’s second T20 World Cup win.
Virat Kohli forged a crucial 72-run partnership with Axar Patel to lay the foundation for a competitive total. He set the tone by negating the difficult situation with his 76-run knock.
Axar played a handy role in taking India to a competitive total. His 47 off 31 deliveries, which changed the dynamics of the game with Virat Kohli on the other side, often goes unnoticed as well. (ANI)
