New Delhi: India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant was awarded the Fielder of the Match medal by former teammate Dinesh Karthik after a thumping 68-run win over England in the semifinal of the T20 World Cup in Guyana.
In a video posted by the BCCI on X, India fielding coach T Dilip praised Virat Kohli, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel and Suryakumar Yadav’s fielding efforts in the semifinal match.
Pant grabbed Jos Buttler’s catch off Axar Patel in the fourth over and also indulged in the stumping of Moeen Ali in the eighth over of the match on the bowling of the same spinner.
While presenting the medal to Pant, Karthik said, “There are many stories in sport but there are not many better than to the person I am giving the medal to. What he’s gone through a year ago, I think six months ago, no one expected him to be in this team, not many would have expected him to play this sport this early, but for him to come out here and play the way he has done, all are very happy for him and he has made millions happy by just being on the field – Rishabh Pant.”
After being asked to bat first, Rohit Sharma displayed his hitting class and amassed 57 off 39 studded with six fours and two sixes before Suryakumar Yadav contributed 36-ball 47 to take India to 171/7 in 20 overs.
In reply, England faltered against the spin duo of Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav, who scalped three wickets each, to bundle out them for 103 in 16.4 overs in a rain-affected encounter at Providence Stadium.
With an unbeaten run in the tournament so far, India and South Africa are geared up for the final at Kensington Oval in Barbados on Saturday, June 29.
–IANS