In the final over of the match, with South Africa requiring 16 runs off the last six deliveries, David Miller, a player renowned for his ability to produce crucial, game-changing performances for his team, went for a powerful stroke.
However, the ball found Suryakumar near the boundary, who plucked a remarkable catch, first catching the ball and putting it in the air, crossing the boundary and returning inside quickly to complete the catch.
The incident sparked controversy after several social media posts showed video footage that seemed to suggest the boundary cushion had been intentionally adjusted and moved further back.
However, legendary Indian batter Sunil Gavaskar voiced his support for Suryakumar in response to an Australian newspaper’s allegations regarding the legitimacy of a spectacular catch made by the player.
“There was also a question raised in an Australian paper about the fairness of the catch that Suryakumar Yadav took to dismiss David Miller in the final. All the replays were quite clear that SKY had done a marvellous balancing act as he took the catch and flicked the ball up in the air before he crossed the boundary rope and then jumped in the air and caught the ball within the boundary to complete a fabulous catch,” Gavaskar wrote in his column for Sportstar.
“Nobody questioned the catch, but the writer of the article did. He may be interested to see the video floating around of the 10 most blatant cheating acts done by the Aussies before trying to point a finger at SKY. Pot calling the kettle black indeed,” he added.