"It looked like it would be just landing at 30 yards" - India's 2024 T20 World Cup hero revisits Suryakumar Yadav's iconic catch in final

Team India all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who bowled the last over in the 2024 T20 World Cup final against South Africa in Barbados, has opened up on the varied emotions about Suryakumar Yadav's sensational catch to dismiss David Miller. Pandya recalled that he initially thought the ball had not traveled far, but acknowledged that he got nervous as the wind took the ball towards the ropes.

India beat South Africa by seven runs in a tense summit clash to lift the 2024 T20 World Cup. The Proteas needed 16 runs off the last over bowled by Pandya. The first ball of the over was a full toss outside off. Miller launched it down the ground. Suryakumar, however, sprinted from wide long-off and completed a sharp catch under pressure doing a superb juggling act on the ropes.

In a video posted on ICC's social media handles, he revisited the game-changing catch in the 2024 T20 World Cup final and how the breeze gave him a big scare. Pandya recalled:

"In Barbados, there was a very hard breeze going around to the dressing room side. So if he wants to drag me, he'll have to drag me or hit me against the wind. There are more chances of him missing it than that. My strength would be a stump yorker.

But we went outside off stump for a specific reason if you want to hit us, hit against the odds. Not where you're more favorable. And I think that is more situational awareness and more knowing your strength. And I think that was the reason we were calm and composed with our plans.

"Ro [Rohit Sharma] and I spoke after the game as well. When the ball went in the air, it looked like it would be just landing at 30 yards or a fielder would have to come inside and all. But I think the wind actually took it. It was not that much steady. It actually came inside this thing. So it carried forward.

Obviously, that's when the emotions were quite up and down because first, it felt like, oh, it's just up. But then we see that the ball is going, going. It's not stopping. Obviously, then what Surya did at that point of time with that much presence of mind, calmness, you know, it was just sheer, sheer brilliance," the all-rounder added.

With nine runs needed off two balls in the T20 World Cup final, Pandya also dismissed Kagiso Rabada (4). This time Suryakumar picked up a much simpler catch in the outfield.

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Hardik Pandya was a key member of India's 2024 T20 World Cup squad

The 31-year-old made a significant impact with both bat and ball in India's 2024 T20 World Cup triumph. He scored 144 runs in six innings at an average of 48 and a strike rate of 151.57. The right-handed batter smashed 50* off 27 balls against Bangladesh and contributed 23 off 13 in the semifinal against England in Guyana.

With the ball, the Baroda cricketer claimed 11 wickets at an average of 17.36 and an economy rate of 7.64. He claimed 2-24 against Pakistan, 3-27 against Ireland, and 3-20 in the final against the Proteas.