South Africa’s spinner Keshav Maharaj opened up on Suryakumar Yadav’s catch in T20 World Cup 2024 final that snatched the game away from the Proteas. Keshav Maharaj was of the view that discussing the umpire’s decision was not going to change the outcome of the T20 World Cup 2024 final.
South Africa needed 16 off the final over to lift the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024. David Miller was on strike and he smashed the ball down the ground but Suryakumar Yadav was there and took a blinder which killed the hopes of Proteas. Maharaj also said that they don’t want to live in negatives.
India wins WT20 2024 in Barbados beating South Africa.
It is pertinent to mention that South Africa were defeated by India by seven runs in the final of the recently concluded T20 World Cup on June 29. Their hopes of lifting the T20 World Cup trophy were dashed when David Miller was dismissed while attempting a huge hit on the very first delivery of the final over bowled by Hardik Pandya.
Suryakumar Yadav caught the ball centimeters from the boundary line, jumped outside the boundary cushion before throwing the ball up, re-entered the field and completed the catch. Following the match, several suggested that the boundary cushion had been moved back and Yadav had stepped on the mark where the cushion should have been. Later, former South African all-rounder Shaun Pollock shut down such conspiracy theories, saying that Suryakumar Yadav had nothing to do with cushion being moved.
Keshav Maharaj was of the view that discussing the umpire’s decision was not going to change the outcome of the T20 World Cup 2024 final.
Keshav Maharaj dodges question about Suryakumar Yadav’s debated catch in T20 World Cup 2024 final
South African spinner Keshav Maharaj has dodged the question of the much-debated catch of David Miller taken by Suryakumar Yadav in the T20 World Cup 2024 final in Barbados. The left-arm spinner stated that they can’t change the decision which has been made and doesn’t want to dwell on the negatives.
With 16 required off the final over of the tournament and Miller on strike, Rohit Sharma threw the ball to Hardik Pandya. The left-hander hit the ball straight down the ground as Suryakumar Yadav took the catch along with stepping over the boundary, but tossed the ball inside in between and returned to take it again.
However, the debate was whether the boundary had been moved, visible by the discoloration of grass. The third umpire gave it not out and Miller had to walk back, crushing the Proteas’ hopes.
Speaking to IOL Sport ahead of their departure to South Africa, Keshav Maharaj said they only have to focus on what’s ahead as the decision made can’t be changed.
He said:
“To be honest, we’re just disappointed about the loss and we were literally on a flight out of Barbados due to the weather — so we never really touched base. But that stuff, we can’t undo whatever’s transpired. We just focus on our tasks.
“Whatever decision was made or not made, it’s not going to change the outcome. It’s not good to dwell on the negatives. There’s a time to address certain moments, we will at some stage. We just have to let it sink in, and move forward.”
After Miller perished, Kagiso Rabada hit a boundary, but the task became too steep and they fell short by seven runs. The likes of Miller, Heinrich Klaasen and Quinton de Kock were quite distraught as South Africa could not pull it off despite requiring 30 runs off 30 deliveries at one stage.
“I’m very optimistic about the future” – Keshav Maharaj
Even as South Africa’s players are hurting, Keshav Maharaj said reaching their first World Cup final is a massive progress for them and feels the only way up his high. The 34-year-old added:
“In a World Cup event where there is high pressure against you, it did show [our progression] to reach a final for the first time. It was hard to swallow at first, but as someone who sees the glass as half full I had my moments to weep about it.
“I’m very optimistic about the future. I think there’s a lot of positives that transpired in the World Cup. To see the growth in the team in such a short space of time it propels you and fuels you to get it right when the next opportunity comes about. So there’s a lot of optimism among the pain and hurt.”
Before this tournament, South Africa had tasted seven World Cup semi-final defeats. Meanwhile, Keshav Maharaj expressed hope that South Africa will go on to win tournaments in the future as they had already made history by reaching the final of the T20 World Cup for the first time.