It’s been 10 days since India lifted their second T20 World Cup title, beating South Africa in a dramatic final in Barbados. Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller almost had India staring at yet another heartbreak, before a wonderous catch from Suryakumar Yadav saw Rohit Sharma’s men emerge on top with a narrow seven-run win. However, the controversy around that title-winning catch continues, with social media witnessing a fan war on Monday after a fresh video emerged which linked it to a boundary from Virat Kohli.
The debate around the legitimacy of Suryakumar‘s catch had two aspects. A video that emerged just hours after India’s celebration ended in Barbados showed that the edge of his foot flicked the boundary cushion when he threw the ball back into play while going over the rope at the time of taking the catch. However, the controversy was shut a few days later after a fan, who was present at the venue, shared a fresh clip showing that no portion of his foot was in contact with the boundary cushion.
The other controversy was that the cushion was way behind the actual boundary line at the time of taking the catch, and hence, it should have been a six for Miller rather than a catch for India. While this theory is yet to be nullified, a new video emerged on social media, claiming that it was a boundary from Kohli that led to the shift in the boundary cushion. The clip showed that it was during the first over of the match when Kohli executed a straight drive against Marco Jansen that in a bid to save the boundary, the fielder made a diving effort and pushed the boundary cushion away from the actual line.
However, a few fans shut the theory down by explaining that the catch was taken at the opposite end to where Kohli hit the boundary.
According to ICC’s playing conditions, it is the cushion, not the white line which is the boundary. However, section 19.3 says: “If a solid object used to mark the boundary is disturbed for any reason, then the boundary shall be considered to be in its original position.”
There is still no proof as to when and how the cushion was moved during the match, but ICC rules definitely says that it should have been moved back to its original position. Section 19.3.2 states: “If a solid object used to mark the boundary is disturbed for any reason, the object shall be returned to its original position as soon as is practicable; if play is taking place, this shall be as soon as the ball is dead.”
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