West Indies legend Vivian Richards honoured the number one ranked T20I batter Suryakumar Yadav with the ‘Fielder of the Match’ award following India’s win over Bangladesh by 50 runs in their ICC T20 World Cup Super Eights clash on Saturday. India took one step ahead in their pursuit of semifinal qualification as they beat Bangladesh by 50 runs in their ICC T20 World Cup Super Eights clash at Antigua on Saturday, with Hardik Pandya’s all-round show and a destructive spell by Kuldeep Yadav being the highlights.
The X handle of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) posted a video of the medal ceremony, which takes place after every game in the dressing room.
Fielding coach T Dilip lauded the team for their fielding performance, saying that the team showcased what it truly means to be relentless as they did not leave any opportunity for the opponents to score an easy run.
“It was visible that we were hungry to win there. That is what we are meant to be out there. Well done. It is clear that when our efforts align in a common purpose, we not only meet the standards, that we set in, but we also keep redefining all the time,” added the fielding coach.
Dilip named Suryakumar Yadav, Axar Patel and skipper Rohit Sharma as contenders for the medal. The medal was presented to the “safe house” Suryakumar by the legendary West Indies cricketer, who Dilip introduced as a name synonymous with “fearlessness and unmatched on-field charisma”. Suryakumar had taken a fine diving catch at deep square leg to remove Litton Das to give Hardik Pandya and India the first wicket of the game.
Giving the medal to Suryakumar, Viv expressed his happiness with Men in Blue’s performance and made it clear that if his West Indies team is not able to get the title, he will be rooting for Men in Blue to end their 11-year-long ICC trophy drought.
“What can I say to a team that is so already powerful, man? You know, you have a good thing going here. And I can only say this, that if the guys in Maroon (West Indies) do not get it done, I will be backing you,” said the West Indies legend.
He also expressed happiness with wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant’s performances as a batter and wicketkeeper, after the life-threatening car crash he faced in 2022-end.
After receiving the medal, Suryakumar said, “I feel really well. Good. I think Mohamed Siraj… He set the benchmark really high on the field from game one and I am really happy to be having this medal from the great legend, Sir Vivian Richards in Antigua. We have been working really hard with Dilip sir on fielding and it feels good. Hopefully, this journey with the medal continues and it gives me a lot of motivation and inspiration as well.”
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