Champions Trophy: Kohli wins 'Fielder of the Match' as India tops Group A
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Dubai: India’s Virat Kohli was awarded the 'Fielder of the Match' medal for his exceptional fielding efforts in the team’s crucial Champions Trophy group-stage victory against New Zealand on Sunday.
Led by Varun Chakaravarthy’s brilliant five-wicket haul, India secured a 44-run win over New Zealand, finishing atop Group A. With the victory, they now prepare to face Australia in the first semi-final in Dubai on Tuesday, while New Zealand will take on South Africa in Lahore on Wednesday.
Following the match, India’s fielding coach T Dilip addressed the team in the dressing room, commending their fielding performance. He then announced the contenders for the best fielding honors before training assistant Udenaka Nuwan Seneviratane presented the medal to Kohli, who was playing his landmark 300th ODI.
“We always speak about being a gun fielding unit, but for me, the most important thing is how you are proactive,” Dilip said in a video posted by the BCCI. “In different phases of the game, the way we squeezed in when Mitchell came in and couldn’t rotate the strike, the bullet throws from the outfield—it all made a difference.”
He went on to highlight the top fielding performances of the game. “Coming to the contenders, one looked like Superman while taking that catch—Axar Patel. Game after game, he has shown his brilliance. And then, the one who stamped his authority on the field, always moving to prime positions and taking those catches—Virat Kohli. The way he squeezed in, putting in those dives—Shreyas Iyer.”
Kohli became the seventh Indian player to reach the 300-ODI milestone, joining the elite list of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, MS Dhoni, Mohammad Azharuddin, Sourav Ganguly, and Yuvraj Singh.
However, the star batter had a short stay at the crease in his milestone match, dismissed for 11 by Matt Henry. Kohli’s powerful cut shot seemed destined for a boundary, but Glenn Phillips produced a stunning one-handed catch at backward point, leaving both Kohli and fans in disbelief.
India’s innings was anchored by Shreyas Iyer, who top-scored with 79, while Axar Patel and Hardik Pandya contributed vital knocks of 42 and 45, respectively, helping the team post 249/9 in 50 overs.
With IANS inputs