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India batter Shreyas Iyer received the 'Fielder of the Match' medal from former India head coach and all-rounder Ravi Shastri following Men in Blue's win over Australia in the semifinal of the ICC Champions Trophy on Tuesday.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) posted a video of the medal ceremony. Iyer made a crucial fielding contribution by cutting short Alex Carey's threatening knock at 61 runs with a fine direct hit in the 48th over, preventing Australia from adding a lot of runs in the death overs and restricting them to a competitive 264 runs in 49.3 overs. Before presenting the medal, India's fielding coach T Dilip highlighted how the knockout matches require "presence" and "awareness". https://x.com/BCCI/status/1897126302039306327 "It demands a unit that does not just react, but makes things happen. The way we cut the angles, made second runs difficult, made them earn every run, that is proof of top-notch fielding effort," added the coach. Following that, he introduced the contenders for the medal, Iyer, Ravindra Jadeja, Shubman Gill (for taking Travis Head's catch) and Virat Kohli (for plucking catches of Josh Inglis and Nathan Ellis). After that Shastri arrived in the dressing room, to the delight of the Men in Blue, majority of who have played under his tenure as head coach. Shastri's charismatic and roaring voice was met with cheers from the team as he said, "individual brilliance will take you to a certain level. It will be a collective team effort that will take you across the finishing line, when champions play." Shastri finally presented the medal to Iyer. Coming to the match, Australia won the toss and elected to bat first. After an early wicket of Cooper Connolly, Travis Head (39 in 33 balls, with four boundaries and two sixes) had a 50-run stand with Steve Smith. Smith carried on, with half-century stands against Marnus Labuschagne (29 in 36 balls, with two fours and a six) and Alex Carey (61 in 57 balls, with eight fours and a six). Carey was there till the 48th over, untill a fine direct hit from Shreyas Iyer ended his knock. Australia was skittled out for 264 in 49.3 overs. Shami (3/48) was the top bowler for India, while Varun Chakravarthy (2/49) and Ravindra Jadeja (2/40) also unleashed a spin web. Axar Patel and Hardik Pandya took a wicket each. During the run chase, India lost skipper Rohit Sharma (28 in 29 balls, with three fours and a six) and Shubman Gill (8) early and were reduced to 43/2. From then on, a 91-run partnership between Virat and Shreyas Iyer (45 in 62 balls, with three fours) brought India back into the game. Virat also had a brief 44-run stand with Axar Patel (27 in 30 balls, with a four and six) and a 47-run stand with KL Rahul (42* in 34 balls, with two fours and two sixes). Hardik delivered a brief and fiery cameo, scoring 28 in 24 balls, with a four and three sixes, helping India seal a win. India finished at 267/6 in 48.1 overs. Nathan Ellis (2/48) and Adam Zampa (2/60) were the top bowlers for Australia. (ANI)
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