Ambati Rayudu sparks fresh debate over Suryakumar's T20 World Cup-winning catch: 'Rope was pushed back'

Former India cricketer Ambati Rayudu has sparked a fresh debate about the controversial Suryakumar Yadav catch in the T20 World Cup 2024 final that helped the Men in Blue clinch the ICC trophy. Rayadu has claimed that the boundary ropes were pushed back before the catch was taken.

While Miller's catch by SKY at the long-off on the first ball of the final over was perfectly legal, fans have often questioned its legitimacy. The shot off Hardik Pandya when South Africa needed 16 in the last over looked like a six before Suryakumar showed great athleticism with a juggling act at the ropes, catching the ball, releasing it before going outside the boundary line, and then coming back in time to grab it back.

Fans unleashed multiple theories on social media as they dissected the images and videos from multiple angles, some even claiming the SKY touched the ropes while handling the ball, but nothing concrete was proven.

Raydudu says boundary rope was pushed back during Suryakumar's catch

Now, in an explosive podcast, Rayudu has claimed that the boundary rope was moved back to make space for broadcast equipment during the final, but it was never restored to its original position. Rayudu was part of the commentary team during the final in Barbados.

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"There were world feed commentators. During the break, they usually put a chair and a screen there for broadcasters. That’s why the rope was pushed back a little. But after the screen and chair were removed, it was left that way. The boundary ended up being a bit bigger for us. We could see it clearly from above. It was god’s plan," Rayudu said on Unfiltered Podcast with Shubhankar Mishra.

Suryakumar was also asked once about the possibility of the catch being illegal in any way, but the India T20I captain made a witty comeback.

“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,” he said.