One of the game-changing moments during the Indian Premier League 2021 match between Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Capitals took place in the 18th over of DC's innings when K Gowtham dropped an easy catch near the boundary ropes, giving a lifeline to Shimron Hetmyer.
Hetmyer went on to score an unbeaten 28 runs in 18 balls to finish off DC's chase but fans continued to wonder what would have happened had Gowtham taken the catch. Hetmyer was batting at 16 at the time, and DC still needed 17 to win in 2 overs with four wickets in hand, so things could have become more tricky without Hetmyer.
India batting legend Sunil Gavaskar spoke on the dropped catch after DC beat CSK by 3 wickets - and said that Gowtham's decision to bend low to take the simple catch affected his ability to hold on to it.
“When you look at that missed catch you would tend to ask why would you bend down that low. That catch could have been taken comfortably. But of course, now we are in a television age so every catch has to look better than it actually is," Gavaskar said.
“So, if Gowtham had just stayed there and had taken the catch at his level, he is a tall man, he could have taken it there. But trying to bend down from that height, he got himself into a position where he wasn't quite there," he added.
{{/usCountry}}“So, if Gowtham had just stayed there and had taken the catch at his level, he is a tall man, he could have taken it there. But trying to bend down from that height, he got himself into a position where he wasn't quite there," he added.
{{/usCountry}}“And it's not fair to say that catch cost them the match because there were other things as well. If everybody had played their part they would still have won,” he signed off.