India on Sunday prevailed over arch-rivals Pakistan in a low-scoring thriller at the Nassau County Stadium in New York. While India were all-out for 119, they restricted Pakistan to 113 courtesy of some tight bowling and acrobatic fielding. Wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant was chosen as the best fielder of the day, and he was handed his medal by a special person in the dressing room.
Rishabh Pant batted well too, scoring 42 runs in 31 balls to help India reach the total of 113 runs. However, it was his effort on the field that earned him the medal of the best fielder. Pant took three catches in the match, with the catch of Fakhar Zaman turning out to be the best. Indian fielding coach T Dilip delivered a rousing speech before calling a special person to hand Pant the award.
“Today was a great example of ‘when the going gets tough, the tough gets going’. One thing which stood out today was the sheer commitment towards excellence in fielding. In high-pressure situations, being proactive is extremely important. Today, we backed each other up, looked after each other and worked as one unit. Outstanding effort, well done. This level of coordination makes us effective and sets us apart from any other team,” Dilip said.
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He then announced the arrival of a special person, and on came former India coach Ravi Shastri.
After giving the medal to Pant, Shastri said, “I had tears in my eyes when I read about his accident, when I saw him in the hospital, it was even worse. For him to come back from there and to be playing one of the biggest games of all time India vs Pakistan was a fantastic display. Batting, everybody knew, but your wicketkeeping and the range of movement is a tribute to the hard work you put in. Its an inspiration to millions around the globe that you can snatch a win from the jaws of death.”
Perhaps it is this camaraderie that is contributing to India’s success in recent years.