South African cricketer David Miller, whose dismissal in the last over of the T20 World Cup final shifted momentum in India's favour, has shared his feelings about the defeat for the first time since the match.
Expressing his emotions on Instagram, Miller wrote about his disappointment, stating, "I am gutted!! Really tough pill to swallow after what transpired 2 days ago. Words don’t explain how I am feeling. One thing I do know is how proud I am of this unit."
This marked the first time the South African men's team reached a World Cup final, though it was not their first heartache in the knockout stages of a major tournament. The Proteas have previously reached seven ICC tournament semifinals. Miller himself was part of the squad that lost to Australia in the ODI World Cup semifinal last year in India and the team that was defeated by New Zealand in the 2015 semifinal. Despite the setback, Miller is optimistic that the current team can overcome the disappointment. He wrote, "This journey was an incredible one, with highs and lows throughout the entire month. We have endured pain, but I know this team has the resilience and will keep raising the bar."
In the final, South Africa was chasing 177 and appeared to be favourites to win at one point, but a late resurgence by the Indian bowlers secured their victory. Miller, batting at 21 in the last over, was caught at mid-off by Suryakumar Yadav, whose remarkable catch turned the game.
In an interview with The Indian Express, Yadav discussed the crucial moment. He shared, "My mind was clear that kaise bhi karke pakad he lena hai (come what may, I have to catch it). Rohit bhai usually never stands at long-on but at that moment he was there. So when the ball was coming, for a second I looked at him and he looked at me."
For South Africa, this was their only defeat in the tournament, having triumphed over Sri Lanka, Netherlands, Bangladesh, Nepal, USA, England, West Indies, and Afghanistan on their way to the final.