India registered their third consecutive win in the ongoing Champions Trophy, brushing New Zealand aside by 44 runs in Dubai. After the match, India’s fielding coach T Dilip, announced Virat Kohli as the winner of the best fielder medal.
Team India put up a comprehensive show in their final group stage game against New Zealand to defend 249 runs and win the clash by 44 runs. It was a trial by spin for the Kiwis, who were squeezed in the middle-overs by the spin quartet of Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Varun Chakaravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav, helping India register a thumping win.
As per the tradition, the Indian dressing room was waiting for the much famous ‘fielder of the match’ medal winner announcement. As he always does, India’s fielding coach T Dilip delivered a motivational speech lauding the Indian players for their commitment on the field. He was particularly impressive with the way the Indian fielders stayed on their toes to not let Daryl Mitchell rotate the strike in the middle overs.
Axar Patel, Shreyas Iyer and Virat Kohli were the contenders to win the medal, and it was Kohli who was eventually bestowed with the honour. He was active on the field right through the match, diving every now and then to save runs for the team and also plucked a catch to send back Matt Henry in the 45th over of the innings.
As far as the fielding is concerned, New Zealand set the stage on fire on the field after opting to bowl first. Glenn Phillips flew to his right early in the innings to shock Virat Kohli, while it was Kane Williamson taking blinders twice in the innings to send back Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja. The Kiwis definitely saved around 20 runs in the field, restricting India to 249 runs in their 50 overs. However, the score proved more than enough in the end, with the Indian spinners picking up a total of nine wickets in the innings, the first such instance in ODIs since 2011.
