Boosted by a stellar performance from Rohit Sharma at the beginning of the innings, India methodically constructed their innings around a half-century by Shreyas Iyer and a century by Virat Kohli, ultimately setting a challenging target of 327 on a spin-friendly Eden Gardens pitch.
Nevertheless, the outcome could have been far worse for the visiting team had they not managed to slow down the scoring rate by taking quick wickets in the closing overs. Much credit for this should be attributed to Quinton de Kock for effectively ending the threat posed by Suryakumar Yadav.
Suryakumar Yadav had rapidly reached a score of 22 runs from just 13 deliveries when Tabraiz Shamsi prepared to deliver the final ball of the 46th over, following a boundary he had conceded on the previous delivery.
SKY had planned a reverse sweep and had positioned himself for the shot, but the ball gripped the surface more than anticipated. Consequently, SKY missed the ball with his shot, which hit his glove and popped up, appearing to hang in the air for what felt like an eternity.
Quinton de Kock took a moment to regain his bearings, seemingly frustrated by not knowing where the Kookaburra ball had gone. However, to the astonishment of the crowd, de Kock swiftly took a couple of steps to his left before executing a remarkable dive, reminiscent of a swimmer’s dive.
At full stretch, the wicketkeeper managed to grasp the white cricket ball just before it could make contact with the ground, creating a moment that will surely become part of World Cup history and igniting a frenzy on Twitter.