Former India head coach Ravi Shastri presented Rishabh Pant with the Best Fielder medal for his exceptional fielding performance against Pakistan yesterday.
Rishabh Pant, who is staging his international return through the ICC T20 World Cup 2024, had quite an eventful day out at the Nassau County Stadium, New York. The wicket-keeper batter made sure to contribute not only with the bat but he also made sure to cause an impact with his wicket-keeping ability.
It may have seemed at first that Rishabh Pant wouldn’t be able to do wicket-keeping that well because of the accident he went through. However, Pant proved the saying “Where there’s a will, there’s a way” absolutely right, and through his immaculate hard work, the left-hand batter has been able to stage an incredible comeback.
T Dilip hails Rishabh Pant for his willingness to do everything possible behind the stumps
Team India’s fielding coach T. Dilip, who is the inventor of the Best Fielding medal prize, hailed Rishabh Pant for putting his body on the line for his team. Dilip named Pant as the top contender for the medal and observed that the latter was very sharp behind the stumps. T. Dilip further hailed Rishabh Pant for his sharpness, anticipation, and willingness to catch everything efficiently.
📽️ 𝘿𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙍𝙤𝙤𝙢 𝘽𝙏𝙎
All smiles after a special win in New York 😃
🎙️ ‘In the fielding medal 🏅 corner’, guess who made his way to present the award 😎 – By @RajalArora
WATCH 🎥🔽 #T20WorldCup | #TeamIndia | #INDvPAK
— BCCI (@BCCI) June 10, 2024
“Today, someone who has been excellent, outstanding efforts by everyone but first our contender number 1 – who has been sharp out there, anticipating every move and catching everything – Rishabh Pant. And the medal goes to someone who has efficiently done not only been doing his skills very well but impacted the game so much but we also have a special person to give it to him.” – T. Dilip said via BCCI.TV.
What did Ravi Shastri say to Pant?
To present the Best Fielder medal, T. Dilip called over a special guest Ravi Shastri, who had been Rishabh Pant’s head coach in the Indian team before Dravid. Shastri came with a huge smile and presented the medal to Pant and then went about to give a short speech about the wicket-keeper batsman’s incredible story.
Ravi Shastri narrated that he had tears in his eyes when he first heard about the accident that Rishabh Pant went through. Shastri had also visited the hospital to see him and he explained that it was a very bad thing for him to see.
Then Shastri spoke about the kind of grit and determination Rishabh Pant showed to get his fitness back and play in an India-Pakistan match. The former India batter also said that Pant’s comeback was a heartwarming moment for him and also appreciated him for his fielding and claimed that he never had doubts about his batting.
“The winner of this medal is Rishabh Pant. Well, all I’ll say for Rishabh, first of all, brilliant performance, and great character shown by the boys but I had tears in my eyes when I read about his accident, when I saw him in Hospital it was even worse and then for him to come back from there and be back in the A zone, playing the biggest games of all time India Vs Pakistan is heartwarming.” – Shastri said.
“Batting everybody knew what you’re capable of, the X factor you have but your wicket-keeping and the range of movement that you’ve got so quickly back in after the operation is a tribute for how much you work hard. It’s an inspiration to Indians around the world. Well done, fantastic, and keep up the good work.” – Ravi Shastri concluded.
