WATCH: How Fielding Coach Dilip Used Spider Cam to Announce Shreyas Iyer the Winner of ‘Best Fielder Medal’ – News18

Team India’s latest trend of awarding the best fielder of a game with a gold medal seems to have motivated the players to give more than 100 per cent on the field. It was the ODI World Cup 2023 in which the fielding coach began special medals to the outstanding fielder of the day. The first-ever medallion for the best fielder was won by Virat Kohli, followed by Shardul Thakur, KL Rahul, and Ravindra Jadeja. The latest player to join the bandwagon was Shreyas Iyer who picked up a spectacular catch to remove Devon Conway for a 9-ball duck.

The New Zealand opener flicked a delivery from Mohammed Siraj down the leg side but Iyer’s efforts at square leg stunned Devon Conway. The acrobatic act later won him the medal but the winner was revealed in a unique manner.

Not just the medallions but coach Dilip has been coming up with different ways of announcing the winner. In Pune, the digital display board at the MCA Stadium flashed the picture of the winner – Ravindra Jadeja – while in Dharamsala, the Spidercam carried the picture down after the coach asked the entire squad to follow him to the ground.

“One guy was like a fish in the water, natural and swift just outstanding started with some brilliant catch at square leg and finished off some outstanding stops out there, especially in the field Shreyas Iyer,” the Indian fielding coach T Dilip said.

The entire team was elated as them hugged for Iyer and cheered him up on winning the medal.

After collecting the medal, Iyer spoke with ICC Digital Insider Crystal Arnold about India’s fearless approach.

“One thing that we decide in the dressing room is that we are going to play fearlerss cricket and that’s what we are here for. And today, it was a clear example of that,” Iyer said.

“It’s fanstastic [to win 5 out of 5 games]. That’s what we are hoping for. As a player, you wish for such a good start when you are playing in home conditions and want to continue the momentum. We are grateful as a team and the camaraderie has been phenomenal. We just want to carry forward this momentum in the next games and make sure that we qualify for the semis,” he added.