'Catch toh mera bhi achha tha': Mohammed Shami's wish denied as KL Rahul wins India's fielding medal from coach T Dilip

If there was one area where India could have performed better during their all-round performance against Bangladesh in the Champions Trophy, it was fielding. Team India was a tad sloppy on the field, with catches going down and stumping opportunities missed. Add to that some half-hearted efforts in the field, all combining to allow Bangladesh to put on 229 from five down to 35. Rohit Sharma put down an easy catch of Jaker Ali at first slip to deny Axar Patel a hat-trick before Hardik Pandya slipped another regulation chance of Towhid Hridoy at mid-off. As it turns out, Hridoy and Jaker added 187 runs to propel Bangladesh to 200-plus.

But while there were lapses, some Indian players responded well, too. Virat Kohli took a fine catch in the deep to dismiss the well-set Jaker and also caught Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto. Rahul also redeemed himself by plucking a sharp catch, sending back Mushfiqur Rahim for a golden duck. Lastly, even Mohammed Shami, who starred with a five-wicket-haul, completed a tough catch to pick up the last India wicket.

However, when it was time for the fielding medal to be announced, Shami was left out. In the beginning of the video posted by the BCCI, Shami said, "Look at our fielding coach; he looks very busy. I know who's winning it. Catch toh mera bhi achha tha yaar (Well, the catch I took was good too).

As Dilip read out the contenders list, he started off with Virat Kohli, before moving to Rahul. "Coming to the nominations, I think someone who's been really sure, that he does what he does all the time – going into his positions, grabbing every opportunity when it comes to his way – none other than Virat Kohli," he said.

KL Rahul, Shubman Gill join in

"I think he has been very consistent behind the stumps; it's never easy because with the new ball, diving on the left side, not only this game, he's been really doing well, taking those catches at important junctures of time – KL Rahul."

Even Shubman Gill joined the contenders list. "We always talk about catches, and with Shami bowling a brilliant spell, the ball went away and was heading towards his right side, Shubman Gill – fantastic effort," said the fielding coach.

Dilip then handed over the proceedings to India's 'livewire on the field' Ravindra Jadeja. The team then stepped outside the dressing room, where the winner KL Rahul was announced on the big screen. The entire team broke into a laughter, bringing back fond memories of the 2023 World Cup.