Indian cricket star Virat Kohli was awarded the ‘Fielder of the Match’ medal for his outstanding fielding during India’s recent Champions Trophy group stage match against New Zealand, which India won. India defeated New Zealand by 44 runs, thanks to Varun Chakaravarthy’s impressive five-wicket haul, securing the top spot in Group A. India is set to play Australia in the first semi-final in Dubai on Tuesday, while New Zealand will compete against South Africa in Lahore on Wednesday.
Following their victory, India’s fielding coach, T Dilip, praised the team’s fielding efforts in the dressing room. He announced the nominees for the best fielder award before training assistant Udenaka Nuwan Seneviratane presented the medal to Kohli, who was playing in his 300th ODI match.
Dilip mentioned in a video shared by BCCI, “We always aim to be an exceptional fielding unit, and for me, being proactive is key. I observed different aspects of the game, such as how we applied pressure when Mitchell was at the crease, limiting his ability to rotate strikes, and the powerful throws from the outfield.”
He further added, “The contenders for the medal include Axar Patel, who consistently demonstrates superman-like fielding and took a fantastic catch, and Virat Kohli, for his commanding presence on the field and excellent catching, along with Shreyas Iyer, for his impactful dives and efforts.”
Virat Kohli is now the seventh Indian cricketer to reach the milestone of 300 ODIs, joining legends like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, MS Dhoni, Mohammed Azharuddin, Sourav Ganguly, and Yuvraj Singh.
Despite achieving this personal milestone, Kohli’s performance with the bat was less impactful in this particular match. He was dismissed for 11 runs by Matt Henry after a stunning one-handed catch by Glenn Phillips at backward point, leaving Kohli and fans in disbelief.
Shreyas Iyer was the top scorer for India 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.
