The fantastic catch by Suryakumar Yadav in the final over of the T20 World Cup 2024 against South Africa was one of those moments in the match. With India closing in on victory, Yadav took an incredible catch in the final over to remove the big-hitting David Miller. Tracking back nearly 80 meters, Yadav’s top-class athleticism under pressure meant there was just a hairline distance between his foot and the boundary line.

After repeated replays, the Third Umpire gave his verdict as a clean catch, and India inched closer to the title. The moment went viral as fans celebrated Yadav’s brilliance on social media. However, everybody does not take it as such. Tabraiz Shamsi, one of the South African squad members in the final, did kick up a storm with a light-hearted comment that didn’t exactly go too well with the Indian fans.

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Tabraiz Shamsi tweeted a parody video from his X account, where he playfully questioned the authenticity of the catch: “If they did this for the catch in the World Cup final, maybe it would have been given not out”, Shamsi jested. Soon, his comment attracted the wrath of Indian cricket fans, who lashed out at him with a barrage of comments.

If they used this method to check the catch in the world cup final maybe it would have been given not out 😅 https://t.co/JNtrdF77Q0

— Tabraiz Shamsi (@shamsi90) August 29, 2024

At the same time, with the light moment, Shamsi opened up more debate on his inclusion in South Africa’s playing XI in the final. A host of cricket analysts, including Ravichandran Ashwin and Robin Uthappa, had raised questions over his selection and found him a weak link in the Proteas attack. In the final, he bowled three overs and gave away 26 runs sans scalp, which fuelled the criticism more.

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The backlash was enough to make Shamsi explain that it had been a joke, and no seriousness was meant by the comment. “In case some of y’all don’t understand that it is meant to be a joke and no one is crying. let me explain it to you like a 4-year-old child: It’s A Joke,” he added to calm everyone. Notwithstanding his clarification, the incident did bring to the fore the thin line dividing humor and controversy in the cricketing world.

In case some people dont understand that it’s meant to be a joke and no one is crying… let me explain it to you like a 4 year old child 🤗

It’s

A

Joke

— Tabraiz Shamsi (@shamsi90) August 29, 2024