Shikhar Dhawan goes gaga over ‘special player for magic moment’ vs PAK, enters dressing room in style: ‘We always talk…’
Dhawan, who was the Player of the Tournament in the 2013 Champions Trophy, arrived in style as he received a loud cheer from the Indian players on his entry.
Team India fielding coach T Dilip continued his tradition of awarding the best fielder's medal to a player after the Men in Blue's incredible win over arch-rivals Pakistan on Sunday in Dubai. Dilip started the tradition in 2023 and it just continues from there as he shortlists three players after a match in an ICC event and then picks one for the best fielder's medal.
The Indian team produced a clinical performance on Sunday, outclassing Pakistan in all three departments to register a six-wicket win. Virat Kohli was named Player of the Match for his magnificent century under pressure to take India over the line.
After the game, Dilip lavished praise on the players for their efforts to keep things tight on the field as he also mentioned the importance of run-outs, which helped India strengthen their position in the game.
He named Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, and Shreyas Iyer as the three contenders for the Fielder of the Match award. He often tries to find a unique way to announce the winner, and this time, he welcomed veteran Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan in the dressing room.
Dhawan, who was the Player of the Tournament in the 2013 Champions Trophy, arrived in style as he received a loud cheer from the Indian players on his entry.
He praised the performances of Kuldeep Yadav, Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill in the crucial match and thanked the support staff for creating a great environment for the players.
"A big, big congratulations to the whole team, especially the bowling unit. Kuldeep Yadav took three wickets. And then coming down to the batting. Virat, well played. That's what the experienced players do. Very well done. Shubman, great consistency. KL Rahul. Thanks to the support staff as well for creating such a great environment in the team," Dhawan said in the video uploaded by the BCCI on their social media accounts.
Axar Patel named Fielder of the Match
He later announced Axar Patel as the Fielder of the Match over Iyer and Jadeja.
"Thank you for inviting me over here to give the medal to the special player who created the magic moment as we always talk about Axar Patel," said Dhawan.
The left-handed all-rounder was involved in a couple of run-outs, one of which was a direct hit to get rid of Imam-ul-Haq, while he also grabbed a crucial catch of Saud Shakeel.