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'Was Not Expecting Full Toss' - David Miller Recalls Hardik's Last Over Heroics In T20 World Cup Final 

Hardik Pandya and Miller (Source: @TheCricketPanda/x.com, @CricCrazyJohns/x.com)Hardik Pandya and Miller (Source: @TheCricketPanda/x.com, @CricCrazyJohns/x.com)

South Africa’s all-rounder David Miller has opened up about the painful loss to India in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 final. In a candid interview with ESPNCricinfo, Miller reflected on the decisive moment during the final over, when South Africa needed 16 runs to win the World Cup. 

Miller, standing as South Africa’s last hope, was caught out by Suryakumar Yadav on the first ball of the final over a full toss delivered by India’s all-rounder Hardik Pandya.

David Miller Recalled The Heart-Wrenching Moment

David Miller recalled how the moment unfolded and shared his disappointment and frustration at not being able to deliver for his country. He went on to describe how he had expected to time the shot better, but a combination of factors, including a slight breeze, seemed to work against him.

"Sport is not fair for everyone. I wouldn't have done anything different on that ball, accept for timing it better. I wasn't actually expecting a full toss like that. I always do kind of have a full toss in mind, but it just caught me a little bit off guard and I got it just slightly wrong. But it was a little breeze that was kind of coming across us. Not necessarily into us. But it was slightly more in and across," Miller told ESPNCricinfo.

The catch taken by Suryakumar Yadav was regarded as one of the most crucial moments of the tournament. Positioned at long-on, Suryakumar displayed exceptional presence of mind and managed to hold onto the ball while maintaining balance just inside the boundary. His catch effectively ended South Africa’s hopes of winning their first-ever T20 World Cup title.

"So the margins are so small so it was really frustrating. I thought I had enough on it. I knew it was going to be tight. You know, you kind of get that feeling as soon as you hit it, you know it's going to be. Thought I had enough but yah, it just kind of held up and the rest is history," he added.

For David Miller, the loss represents another chapter in South Africa’s long history of near-misses at major ICC tournaments. Despite their consistently strong performance, South Africa has yet to win a T20 World Cup. Miller also reflected on the emotions of the final and acknowledged how difficult it was to cope with the loss.