Indian cricket star Virat Kohli was awarded the ‘Fielder of the Match’ medal for his exceptional fielding performance in India’s recent Champions Trophy group stage victory over New Zealand on Sunday. India secured a 44-run win, led by Varun Chakaravarthy’s impressive five-wicket haul, and topped Group A in the tournament. They are now set to face Australia in the first semi-final in Dubai on Tuesday, while New Zealand will compete against South Africa in Lahore on Wednesday.
Following the victory, India’s fielding coach T Dilip addressed the team in the dressing room, praising their fielding efforts. He highlighted the top contenders for the best fielding award before training assistant Udenaka Nuwan Seneviratane presented the medal to Kohli, who was celebrating his 300th ODI appearance.
Dilip mentioned in a video shared by BCCI, ‘We always aim to be an excellent fielding unit, and for me, being proactive is key. I observed various aspects of our game, such as how we restricted scoring when Mitchell was batting, preventing him from rotating the strike, and the powerful throws from the outfield.’
He further added, ‘Regarding the contenders, Axar Patel stood out with a superman-like catch, consistently demonstrating his fielding prowess and authority. Virat Kohli also impressed with his dives and pressure in key positions, along with Shreyas Iyer who contributed significantly.’
Kohli became the seventh Indian player to reach the milestone of 300 ODIs, joining legends like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, MS Dhoni, Mohammed Azharuddin, Sourav Ganguly, and Yuvraj Singh.
Despite the achievement, Kohli’s performance with the bat in his milestone match was less impactful, as he was dismissed for 11 by Matt Henry. Kohli powerfully cut the ball, but Glenn Phillips made a spectacular one-handed catch at backward point, leaving Kohli and the fans in disbelief.
Shreyas Iyer was India’s top scorer with 79 runs, while Axar Patel and Hardik Pandya contributed 42 and 45 runs respectively, helping India reach a total of 249/9 in 50 overs.
