'Long off... long off... long' - Jatin Sapru opens up on his iconic commentary for Surya Kumar Yadav's catch in WCT20 final

In the history of Indian cricket, certain moments are remembered forever. One such moment occurred during the T20 World Cup 2024 final when Suryakumar Yadav's spectacular catch was glorified by commentator Jatin Sapru's electrifying call "Long off... long off... long off Suryakumar Yadav!"

The Rohit Sharma-led side faced South Africa at Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados, on June 29, 2024 in the summit final. With just 16 runs needed off the last over, David Miller stood as the Proteas' last hope. Sharma gave Hardik Pandya the responsibility to bowl the final over.

As Miller connected the first ball towards long off, Sapru's commentary captured the drama. The ace commentator broke his silence about his iconic words.

"I said ek Aakhri mauka, Hardik Pandya again the plan was good, it was a wide line attempted yorker, when the ball flew from the bat, if you see that clip as well, first two seconds, I didn't say anything, because from that angle, the trajectory, and behind there were stands, the ball gets lost, so picking the trajectory, from the side it is easy" Sapru told Star Sports.

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"From that angle because you are seeing the ball upar and want to see at what speed is it coming. If it goes the other way, it can be seen quicker. So I took a couple of seconds, and it felt, ki with the wind flowing that this was surely going for six, he added.

Yadav, positioned at long-off, began to run and caught Sapru's eye. The commentator's instincts kicked in, resulting in the now-famous triple "long off" call that peaked as Yadav completed the catch.

The catch itself was a masterclass in fielding. Yadav, showing remarkable presence of mind, caught the ball inside the boundary, stepped over, released it, and reclaimed it within the playing area. This singular act turned the tide of the match, securing India's victory by a narrow margin of seven runs.

"Then I remember also getting up, I just saw from the corner of my eye. someone started to run in a very interesting manner, so that was the first long off, the second long off was long off was coming closer and the third long off was because I saw Surya take that catch. I saw him for a fraction of a second before he went in the front of the side screen and I did not have the vision ahead of the side screen. I had forgotten the screen, I was watching it ekdum niche, you cant prepare for that moment, I don't think I said anything extraordinary, what I said was who was interested and then Suryakumar Yadav who was the guy who pulled off a miracle," Sapru further added.

Check the post below:

This will stay with me forever: Suryakumar Yadav

Almost a month after winning the title, the 33-year-old opened up about the catch and the feeling to lift a title for the nation. 

"This will stay with me forever because I've done those things in my practise sessions a lot. But I didn't think that it will come at that moment, World Cup final and that situation. I'm very grateful for that to be doing something special on a special occasion. But yeah, as you said that will remain with me forever. It won't be a one-month challenge or a one-year challenge. I think it will be for a lifetime," Suryakumar said in a BCCI video.

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The match had been a rollercoaster. South Africa, chasing 177, seemed in control after Heinrich Klaasen's explosive 24-run over against Axar Patel. With 30 runs needed off the last five overs and six wickets in hand, they were favorites. However, the Indian bowlers, led by Pandya, Arshdeep Singh, and Jasprit Bumrah, held their nerve, conceding just 22 runs in the death overs.