Suryakumar Yadav's T20 World Cup winning catch still under scanner? Jonty Rhodes opens a new can of worms

Legendary South Africa cricketer Jonty Rhodes shared his thoughts on Suryakumar Yadav's game-changing catch in the T20 World Cup 2024 final between India and South Africa.

With 16 needed off 6 balls in the final, David Miller smashed Hardik Pandya's low full toss outside off stump straight down the ground.

The ball seemed to cross the ropes before Suryakumar Yadav took a spectacular catch under pressure at long off boundary to dent South Africa's hopes.

It was a close catch and the decision went to the TV umpire. However, after watching several replays, the TV umpire was satisfied that Suryakumar Yadav had taken the catch cleanly and Suryakumar Yadav's foot wasn't touching the boundary ropes when the ball was in his hands.

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Jonty Rhodes breaks silence on Suryakumar Yadav's game-changing catch

While speaking to ANI, Jonty Rhodes reckoned that David Miller could have won the match for South Africa had the ball gone all the way for a six. Rhodes also lauded South Africa for showing great fighting spirit which carried them to the final.

"I always respect my players and the opposition who've done something that can turn the game. There's no guarantee. Had it gone for six, Miller could have carried on hitting the ball out of the park. But it certainly shows that catches can win matches in T20 cricket. And it's one thing when teams are that close together," Rhodes said.

"India had a great tournament, South Africa had fought their way through. They hadn't played the greatest of cricket, but they had shown they were real fighters," he added.

Jonty Rhodes claims he had mixed emotions in the final

Jonty Rhodes has been associated with India for a long time. He is currently the fielding coach of IPL team Lucknow Super Giants.

The legendary fielder further mentioned that it was mixed emotions for him seeing South Africa lose such a close game. However, he felt happy that the game-changing moment was a good piece of fielding.

"India had dominated the way that they played and the teams were that close that it was literally two meters away from, you know, possibly the game going in South Africa's favor. So yes mixed emotions," Rhodes reckoned.

"But as a fielding coach and someone who's very closely associated with India I was really happy that the game-changing moment for me was probably a good piece of fielding," he added.

The brilliant catch by Suryakumar Yadav turned the match as Miller was the last recognized batter for South Africa.

South Africa needed 16 off 5 balls after Miller's dismissal but with the tailenders at the crease, it was always going to be an uphill task.

Bowler Hardik Pandya kept his cool and finished off the game to win the match for India by 7 runs.

It was a historic win for India as they finally clinched an ICC trophy after a gap of 11 years. While India clinched the title, South Africa's wait for a maiden senior ICC trophy continues.