Team India’s T20 World Cup 2024 triumph saw Rohit Sharma produce a remarkable turnaround in the final 5 overs of the match. Up against South Africa, who needed 30 runs to win from 30 balls, India didn’t let their shoulders drop, with the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh and Hardik Pandya producing a remarkable spell of death bowling. It was David Miller’s catch by Suryakumar Yadav, however, that proved to be the true turning point. While Surya and the Indian team got the thumbs up from the third umpire on the catch, there are some who continue to question the dismissal.
Claims have been made that the boundary rope was pushed by feet before Surya perfectly executed the catch, especially as the white marking line was visible before the skirting. However, the claim has been debunked by former India cricketer Aakash Chopra, who asked doubters to ‘push their brains a little.
“People said the original white line was visible and it means the skirting would have been pushed behind with the feet. Then I say, nothing was pushed, push your brain a little. Open your mind a little and understand the rules,” Chopra said on his YouTube channel.
Chopra explained that though the line is considered the boundary, but its validity varies as matches aren’t played on same pitches in the ground.
“It’s absolutely correct that the line is considered the boundary but do you know why the line was ahead of the skirting? It’s because there are many pitches on the ground. So when the match shifts from one pitch to another, the boundary ropes are adjusted, and this was not the first match to be played in Barbados,” Chopra added.
“So the markings were done for the original pitch, and then you changed them because the ground dimensions are going to change. The moment they change, those lines are left behind, and that’s about it, there is nothing more to it,” he further added.
There are those who feel Suryakumar intentionally pushed the skirting back using his feet. But, the claim has been rubbished by Chopra.
“Suryakumar Yadav took the catch, he was inside, he threw the ball up when he was going outside, and then he caught the ball after coming back. Everything was absolutely clear. There was no angle which didn’t show it with clarity,” he explained.
“There were enough cameras. It’s the truth with every international game. In fact, we had 26 cameras in the Bengal Pro T20 league, and this was the ICC World Cup. There are 30-40 cameras, nothing is hidden from them,” Chopra concluded.
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