Credit: X

Credit: X

South Africa spinner Keshav Maharaj pulled off a brilliant catch to dismiss Ravindra Jadeja in the T20 World Cup 2024 final. On Saturday, June 29, South Africa clashed against India in the summit clash of the tournament at the Kensington Oval, Barbados. Both sides were unbeaten throughout the season, and while South Africa aimed to win their first ever World Cup, Men in Blue wanted to add another ICC silverware in their trophy cabinet. The game saw Indian skipper Rohit Sharma winning the toss and inviting the rivals to field first. 

South Africa got a solid start and took wickets in quick succession to lay a solid foundation in the summit clash. Spinner Keshav Maharaj was in fiery form right from the beginning as the bowling wizard picked two key wickets in the second over to dismantle the top Indian batting order. Later, on the last ball of the 20th over, Maharaj caught Ravindra Jadeja out to finish India’s innings on 176 for the loss of seven wickets. 

The Indian all-rounder tried to hit Anrich Nortje’s ball for a maximum; however, Maharaj ran across and pulled off a stunning catch to send him back to pavilion on 2 runs for 2 deliveries. Earlier, Maharaj scalped wickets of Indian skipper Rohit Sharma and wicketkeeper batter Rishabh Pant. 

During the mid-innings break, Maharaj said, “I was just trying to use the surface, use the breeze and luckily it paid off. The pitch started off slow, it has got better now and hopefully it will be good to chase. The catching and outfielding was good, it's something we pride ourselves on. We can do it, opportunities like this don't come often and the boys are ready to go. Hope we can grab it with both hands.”