Watch: Ambati Rayudu’s stunning revelation on why boundary ropes were pushed back before Suryakumar Yadav’s catch in T20 WC 2024 final

Former India cricketer-turned-commentator Ambati Rayudu has made a stunning revelation reigniting debate about Suryakumar Yadav’s match-winning catch of David Miller in the T20 World Cup 2024 final between India and South Africa. 

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The match was played at Kensington Oval in Barbados and India batted first and posted 176/7 in 20 overs. Despite top-order faltering, Virat Kohli batted through the innings, scoring 76 runs and got support from Axar Patel, who made 47 runs. 

South Africa were cruising through despite a few early wickets, with Heinrich Klaasen and Tristan Stubbs going great guns. However, South Africa needed 16 runs to win the last over, which was bowled by Hardik Pandya, after Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh bowled brilliantly in the 18th and 19th overs.

Miller blasted a wide full ball bowled by Pandya in the direction of the far boundary. Suryakumar Yadav jumped to make a spectacular grab as the ball appeared to soar over the boundary ropes. He crossed the ropes and returned to the playing area.

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India won their first ICC trophy since 2013 and their second T20 World Cup championship thanks to this wicket, which allowed them to dominate the last over and win by seven runs.

‘God’s plan’- Ambati Rayudu reveals why the ropes on the boundary were pushed back before Suryakumar Yadav’s catch

The TV umpire had to study Suryakumar Yadav's catch from various camera angles before making a decision, which sparked controversy. Replays of the incident revealed that the boundary rope in that location had been slightly moved back, which further stirred controversy. 

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Ambati Rayudu, a former Indian batsman who was providing commentary for the game, has finally clarified the circumstances. He disclosed that in order to support their coverage, the official broadcaster's worldwide feed crew had set up a chair and a screen there. 

The boundary rope was slightly repositioned to make room for them, but it was not put back in place even after the chair and screen were taken out.

"There were world feed commentators. During the break, what usually happens is they put a chair there and a screen in order to help the broadcasters see what is happening. That is why they pushed the rope backwards a little bit. But, they left it like that (even after taking the screen and the chair away). That is how the boundary became a little bigger for us. We (the commentators) could see it from above. It was God's plan," said Rayudu on Shubhankar Mishra's podcast.

When asked if it was a six, Rayudu said, "I don't know if it was a six (in natural circumstances) or not. If the rope had been placed at its normal position, maybe Surya would've run from inside."

On the controversy around the catch, Rayudu maintained that it was a "clean catch."

"End of the day, God was with us," he concluded.

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