“Rohit bhai normally by no means stands at long-on however at that second he was there,” Suryakumar advised the Indian Specific. “So when the ball was coming, for a second I checked out him and he checked out me. I ran and my goal was to catch the ball. Had he [Rohit] been nearer, I might have thrown the ball in the direction of him. However he was nowhere shut. In these 4 to 5 seconds, no matter occurred, I am unable to clarify.”
Was the catch clear? Did Suryakumar’s foot tickle the promoting skirting? Replays have been inconclusive thus far.
“Once I pushed the ball [up and inside the playing area] and took the catch, I knew I hadn’t touched the rope,” he stated. “The one factor I used to be cautious about was that after I pushed the ball again inside, my ft do not contact the rope. I knew it was a good catch. In hindsight, something may have occurred. If the ball had gone for six, the equation would have been 5 balls, ten runs. We would have nonetheless received, however the margin would have been nearer.”
Suryakumar revealed the strategy behind taking such catches, whereas additionally crediting fielding coach T Dilip for motivating the whole group by introducing the fielding medal after each match, which has ensured “everybody desires to do one thing further on the bottom”.
“The catch I took, I’ve practised it at completely different grounds, relying on the wind,” he stated. “I used to be standing a bit broad as a result of Hardik [Pandya] and Rohit bhai had put a subject for the broad yorker, and Miller had hit straight. My thoughts was clear that I’ve to catch it come what could.
“A day earlier than the sport, we do a high quality fielding session the place for 10-12 minutes, we have now greater than ten excessive catches, flat catches, direct hits, slip catching. It isn’t a one-day train, I observe these sorts of catches throughout IPL, throughout bilateral sequence. Yesterday’s catch was the reward of the exhausting work completed through the years.”
Suryakumar stated that such stability and agility would not have been attainable with out engaged on his health. He spent 4 months on the sidelines from November 2023 to March 2024, recovering from a sports activities hernia and an ankle damage. It was throughout this era that he labored on slimming down as a part of his health routine which additionally included working with a nutritionist.
“I bear in mind final August, I used to be at round 93kg, perhaps as a result of I used to be having an excessive amount of native meals,” he stated. “I received injured after which had a hernia operation. I went to NCA [BCCI’s National Cricket Academy] from January 1 to April 1 [this year]. Even throughout off days, I used to not go residence as a result of I knew Monday morning can be my session. I could not waste time.
“I ate correct meals ready by my chef. I used to sleep sharp at 10pm and rise up early within the morning. Even now, I’ve selected my meals for the following week with the assistance of the chef and nutritionist; they determine how a lot protein and fats I’ll have day by day, how a lot water I must take with my meals. We’ve got a gaggle for it which additionally has my spouse. They determine and I simply observe. It helped me right here.”
How has he soaked that second in, together with the euphoria of being a world champion?
“In these 4 to 5 seconds, no matter occurred, I am unable to clarify,” he stated. “The quantity of response I’ve been getting for that, individuals have been calling, messaging; there are greater than 1000 unread WhatsApp messages on my telephone. The catch is throughout social media. I am grateful that I used to be there in these 5 seconds of play.”
