India cricketer Rinku Singh got the Best fielder medal for his consistent good work in Men in Blue’s 4-1 T20I series win over Zimbabwe in Harare recently.
The Shubman Gill-led side wrapped up the series on a high after securing a comfortable 42-run win in the final T20I at the Harare Sports Club on Sunday, July 14.
India was asked to bat first and posted 167/6 with Sanju Samson making 58, while Riyan Parag and Shivam Dube contributed as well. In reply, Zimbabwe was bundled out for 125 runs with Dion Myers top-scoring with 34 runs. For India, Mukesh Kumar was the pick of the bowlers with 4/22.
While the level difference between Zimbabwe and the touring second-string Indian side was obvious before the series, it was more pronounced on the field. The Indian team has performed admirably in the field, particularly in terms of run-outs, catching, and ground fielding, whereas Zimbabwe has been dismal, to say the least.
The series did not include individual medal ceremonies after each match, as is customary at World Cups. Instead, after considering all five matches, stand-in fielding coach Subhadeep Ghosh declared Rinku Singh the winner of the medal. The event began with T Dilip, the fielding coach who had initiated the custom, conveying a greeting via recorded video.
The dressing area erupted in applause and cheers when Rinku was declared as the winner. The dynamic fielder did not get many chances with the bat as the top order dominated the series. He scored 60 runs in three innings without getting dismissed.
Rinku Singh got the medal from stand-in India coach VVS Laxman.
Meanwhile, Rinku Singh was asked to give a speech, but the batter was reluctant to do so. But Ravi Bishnoi placed a stool in the center of the room and the rest of the contingent pushed Rinku to say a few words.
“Firstly, I would like to say 'God's Plan'. It was nice to play alongside everyone, I think this was my fourth or fifth series, so it was quite nice. To be honest, I did not get to bat much, but I love fielding a lot. I enjoy it a lot, it is quite fun,” Rinku quickly said before jumping off the stool.
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