New Delhi

India batter Suryakumar Yadav says the catch taken in the 2024 T20 World Cup final was clean. The catch by SKY off Hardik Pandya to dismiss SA batter David Miller almost sealed the game for eventual winners India.

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"When I pushed the ball [up and inside the playing area] and took the catch, I knew I hadn't touched the rope," he said in a chat with news outlet the Indian Express. 

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"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. In hindsight, anything could have happened. If the ball had gone for six, the equation would have been five balls, ten runs. We might have still won, but the margin would have been closer," he added.

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Surya took the catch on the first ball of the final over with South Africa just 16 runs away from their maiden ICC title win.

Pandya, bowling the last over, bowled a low and wide full toss outside off which Miller connected well. The ball travelled to long off region where Surya caught the ball just inside the boundary line but was disbalanced. SKY then popped the ball in the air and crossed the boundary only to comeback inside and catch it again.

"In those four to five seconds, whatever happened, I can't explain," he said. "The amount of reaction I have been getting for that, people have been calling, messaging; there are more than 1000 unread WhatsApp messages on my phone. The catch is all over social media. I'm grateful that I was there in those five seconds of play."

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Miller was the last recognised batter of SA and the next three batters could not get the needed runs off remaining Pandya over. India eventually won the match by seven runs to lift their second T20 World Cup.