 "Suryakumar Yadav received the Best Fielder medal from BCCI secretary Jay Shah after India's T20 World Cup title win. Image: BCCI screengrab")
Team India signed off from the 2024 T20 World Cup in West Indies and USA with a memorable title triumph as they defeated South Africa in the final in Barbados on Saturday. It was a joyous occasion for the Men in Blue as they clinched their first ICC trophy in 11 years.
What turned out to be game-changing in the final was Suryakumar Yadav’s stunning catch to dismiss David Miller towards the end of the Proteas’ run chase in the final over. Following the match, SKY, as he is often called by fans, received the recognition for his mesmerizing catch after he was handed the Best Fielder of the Match award by BCCI secretary Jay Shah, in front of his India teammates and support staff in the dressing room.
T Dilip, India’s fielding coach, had a special message to the Men in Blue, recalling briefly how India conquered the game. “We talk about rising to the occasion in big games today. We just didn’t rise, but we conquered today. The intensity, the camaraderie, the resilience, that we are shown today and also throughout the tournament, we are nothing short of extraordinary stuff like a pack of wolves. Well, Rahul and Rohit keep saying everybody knew their role. But together we hunted every opportunity which came our way, leaving no stone unturned,” T Dilip said, before welcoming Jay Shah.
On receiving the medal, Suryakumar Yadav said: “Thank you so much, sir, for giving me this opportunity and collecting this medal from Jay sir.”
India got the better of South Africa by seven runs in the T20 World Cup final on Saturday. Virat Kohli (76) and Axar Patel (47) stepped up for India to post 176/7 on the board before the bowlers led by Hardik Pandya (3/20) and Jasprit Bumrah (2/20) stepped up to the occasion and helped them defend the total. This is India’s second T20 World Cup title , after having won the title previously in 2007.