Indian wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant produced a brilliant catch to dismiss South African captain Aiden Markram in the final of the T20 World Cup 2024. After batting first, the Men in Blue posted a competitive total of 176 runs despite struggling in the initial phase of the innings.
After losing three quick wickets, Team India steadied themselves with Axar Patel and Virat Kohli building a 72-run stand. Then after losing Patel, the lower order chipped in with a few quality cameos to help post a 176-run total.
Rishabh Pant pulls off incredible diving catch to dismiss Aiden Markram
In the second innings, the Men in Blue got a great with Jasprit Bumrah cleaning up Reeza Hendricks. Then came Aiden Markram, who looked good with a first-ball boundary. With things seemingly going out of hand, Arshdeep Singh came for his second over and managed to an outside edge off Markram. As the ball zoomed away, Rishabh Pant put in a stunning dive to dismiss the South African captain.
In the mid-innings interview, South African spinner Keshav Maharaj praised his team's effort in the first innings. He 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," he added.