Surya’s blinder to send Miller back into the dugout was a key moment in the game as the Men in Blue were under the cosh, South Africa needed only 16 runs to win from the last six balls when Indian skipper Rohit Sharma turned to Hardik Pandya for the decisive over.
Hardik took a punt and bowled a wide-ish full toss that was whacked down the park by Miller, however, he couldn’t clear the boundary ropes thanks to an athletic effort from SKY. Surya not only managed to take the catch, he had the presence of mind to release the ball back into the air just in the nick of time as his momentum carried him out of play.
After finding his balance, Surya again jumped back inside the ropes and completed the catch to hand the Men in Blue a massive advantage in the final. As fate would have it, India won the match by 7 runs and SKY’s catch will surely be etched in the memories of Indian fans forever.
ICC also acknowledged the effort from Suryakumar Yadav whose stunning catch was included in ICC’s best catches of the T20 World Cup 2024.
Among the best catches of the tournament is Axar Patel’s one-handed stunner to dismiss Mitchell Marsh in the Super 8 clash between the two sides. It was an equally important grab in the context of that match, while other memorable catches include Gulbadin Naib’s stunner, Roston Chase’s diving effort, Steven Taylor’s wonderful catch against Pakistan, Aiden Markram’s catch diving backwards, and many others.
While ICC didn’t pick which catch was the best, given the importance of the final, and how much Suryakumar Yadav’s catch impacted the result, his grab would surely take the cake.