After India secured a 2-1 ODI series triumph over
South Africa
, batter
Sai Sudharsan
was honored with the '
Impact Fielder of the ODI Series
' medal, largely for recognition of his outstanding catch during the third ODI against the Proteas.
At the Boland Park in Paarl on Thursday,
KL Rahul
's India claimed a convincing 78-run victory over South Africa to win the three-match series 2-1.
While announcing the recipient of the award, India's fielding coach
Ajay Ratra
commended all three contenders—KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan and Sanju Samson — for their exceptional contributions. Ratra expressed it was difficult to pick the winner among such talented players.
Furthermore, Ratra disclosed that captain KL Rahul insisted that the award be presented to the young left-handed batter, Sai Sudharsan.
"There were a few magnificent performances in the ODI series. Altogether, we have taken 12 catches during the ODI series against South Africa. KL alone taken six catches. Sanju has taken two catches, one as a keeper and another as a fielder. Sai took one brilliant catch today. It was a tight decision to decide the best fielder. It was a tight call between Rahul and Sai. But Rahul was generous enough to say that the catches were on his hand and we should give this award to Sai," Ratra said.
Looking back at the ODI series, India began with a dominant triumph in the series opener. Despite the Proteas reversing fortunes and securing an 8-wicket win in the second ODI at Gqeberha, the Men in Blue orchestrated a remarkable turnaround in the series-decider, claiming victory by a 78-run margin.
This marks the second occasion that India have emerged victorious against the Proteas in a bilateral series on South African soil.
Previously, the Indian team clinched a 5-1 series triumph over South Africa in 2018. Notably, with this recent triumph, KL Rahul joined the ranks as only the second Indian captain to lead the team to an ODI series victory in South Africa, following in the footsteps of Virat Kohli in 2018.
(With ANI inputs)
English (US) ·