Emotional Ravi Shastri Awards Rishabh Pant Best Fielder Medal, Says ‘Had Tears in My Eyes… Seeing Him in the Hospital was Worse’

New York: Team India stunned Pakistan on Sunday after clinching a narrow win by six runs in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024 at the Nassau County Stadium in New York. After a major batting collapse and getting bowled out for a meagre 119, the Indian team made a strong comeback to stun the arch-rivals to register another thrilling win.

After the win, the players and the support staff gathered in the dressing room where the fielding coach T Dilip handed the ‘Best Fielder’ award. there were three shortlisted nominees for the award- Rishabh Pant (for his great glovework behind the stumps), Suryakumar Yadav (for his sharp reflex catch to dismiss Pakistan skipper Babar Azam) and Arshdeep Singh (who took the catch of Imad Wasim despite colliding with Ravindra Jadeja).

Rishabh Pant bagged the award for the first time since the initiation of the ceremony and received it from former coach Ravi Shastri, who came to the dressing room after the conclusion of the match.

“First, give me a hug,” said Shastri after bestowing Pant with the medal.

The former India head coach then recalled the life threatening accident of the left handed batter in December 2022 which forced him to stay away from the game for 14 months.

“All I say for Rishabh. Brilliant performance. I had tears in my eyes when I heard about his accident. When I saw him in the hospital, it was worse. And then for him to come back from there and be back in the A-zone playing one of the biggest games, India vs Pakistan, is heartwarming,” said Shastri.

“Batting, everybody knew. What you’re capable of, is the X-factor you have. But your wicket keeping and range of movement that you have quickly got back in after the operation, is a tribute for how much you worked hard. Not just for yourself, it’s an inspiration to millions around the globe. From adversity, from the jaws of death, you can snatch a win as well. So well done, keep up the good work” he added.

Shastri also commented about the game between the arch-rivals which kept the fans on the edge throughout.

“Typical India-Pakistan game, where the pendulum swings from one side to the other. It’s a game that puts everyone on edge, not just the dugout and the dressing room. A lot of people suffering from weak hearts will have problems with heart attacks, things of that sort, with lots of ambulances today,” he quipped.

That showed today, with the game going all the way down to the wire. And in the end, the team that ceases big moments, holds their nerve, they come out on top,” Shastri concluded.