AB De Villiers breaks silence on Suryakumar Yadav's contentious catch in India vs South Africa T20 World Cup 2024 final, says 'I do feel it was the...'

In the recently concluded T20 World Cup 2024 final at Barbados, a dramatic catch by Suryakumar Yadav turned the tide of the match in India's favor. With South Africa needing just 16 runs to win off the last over, David Miller, a dangerous batsman, was on strike. Hardik Pandya was entrusted with the crucial final over. However, his intended wide yorker went awry, turning into a full toss. Miller, looking to finish the match in style, swung his bat at the inviting delivery, sending the ball high into the air. It seemed destined to clear the boundary for a six, until Suryakumar Yadav, positioned at long-off, intervened.

Yadav judged the trajectory of the ball perfectly and took a spectacular catch. But realizing he was about to go over the boundary rope, he displayed incredible presence of mind. He threw the ball up in the air just before crossing the rope, came back in, and completed the catch cleanly. The on-field umpires, unsure about the legality of the catch due to Yadav's proximity to the boundary, referred it to the third umpire. After careful examination of multiple replays, the third umpire ruled the catch as clean, a decision that sent the Indian players and crowd into a frenzy.

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In a recent video on his YouTube channel, AB de Villiers was questioned about the contentious catch taken by Suryakumar Yadav in the World Cup final. He sidestepped the controversy, emphasising that dwelling on the past isn't helpful. Instead, he believes the team should focus on learning from past experiences and move forward.

"The game is done and dusted. I don't care about things that happened in the past, whether he touched the rope or not, or whether he crossed the line. I honestly do not care," De Villiers replied.

 

"As I watch the replay, I make peace with it, I walk outside, took a few deep breaths because I knew that the game wasn't completely done yet. We still had a chance. But then it's a past tense. There is absolutely no use looking at stuff in the past except for taking learning from it," De Villiers added.

 

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While acknowledging that showing additional angles might have provided more clarity, AB de Villiers also recognized the time constraints faced by the umpires during the match. Ultimately, he endorsed the decision made by the third umpire, suggesting he believed it was the correct call.

 

"It was the umpire's call. If you wanted to be hyper-critical, maybe you should have taken a bit more time to make sure you cover a bit more angles, make sure you make a calculated decision. I do feel that it was the right decision at that time. You don't gave 10-15 minutes to look at the replay," De Villiers further said.

"Looking at the replay, I thought it was a fair call from him (umpire). Very difficult to look back at it now. It's done and dusted. The guys gave their best shot. India came out on top. Congratulations to them! That's the way I look at it," he signed off.

 

Capping off a sensational performance throughout the tournament, India emerged victorious in the T20 World Cup 2024 final against South Africa. The victory came in a nail-biting finish, solidifying India's dominance. Virat Kohli, instrumental in the final match, was deservedly named Player of the Match. Jasprit Bumrah's consistent brilliance throughout the tournament earned him the prestigious Player of the Tournament title.

 

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