Watch: Axar Patel hides 'fielding medal' after losing to Virat Kohli, chaos erupts in dressing room

The India National Cricket Team continued their tradition of honoring the best fielder following their thrilling match against New Zealand in the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy 2025 on Sunday (March 2) at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai.

Keeping up the practice of celebrating fielding excellence, India National Cricket Team fielding coach T Dilip acknowledged the team's efforts on the field after they defeated the Black Caps by 44 runs to seal the semifinal deal with Australia on March 4 in Dubai.

T Dilip praises India’s fielding efforts after thrilling win over New Zealand

Praising the Indian team’s fielding, Dilip said in the video shared by BCCI on its website, “We always speak about being a gun fielding unit. For me most important for that is how we being proactive. I thought different phases of the game, the way we squeezed in, especially when Mitchell came in, that he couldn't get rid of the strike. The way the throws came, bullet throws from the outfield and infield, really squeezed them up, really went up.”

Read Also: Varun Chakravarthy to be dropped? India's playing XI for CT 2025 semi-final picked by Ravi Shastri

The fielding coach then announced the first contender for the Fielder of The Match award, and he was Axar Patel. Praising the all-rounder, Dilip said, “I think coming to the contenders, the one, a third man, it's never easy seeing from there, was just looking like a superman to take that catch and get that direct hit.”

He then hailed Virat Kohli by saying, “Every game, game after game, he showed it again today. The way he stamped his authority on the field, the way he moves to the prime positions, taking those catches for outfield, it’s amazing.”

Axar Patel’s sneaky move delays medal ceremony as Virat Kohli wins Fielder of the Match award

The final standout performer for the honor was Shreyas Iyer, and Dilip praised him by saying, “The way he squeezed in, put in those dives and body on the lines, stays higher. Fantastic.” Meanwhile, the fielding coach then invited India's training assistant, Udenaka Nuwan Seneviratne, to announce the winner.

Before the announcement, there was a twist, as the Fielder of the Match medal was hidden by none other than Axar Patel. He was sitting on a sofa in the dressing room, where the coach kept the medal. However, Dilip managed to get back the medal after some fun reactions from the players.

Read Also: Watch: Virat Kohli turns into Cristiano Ronaldo during India vs New Zealand clash in CT 2025

In a moment of celebration, Udenaka stepped forward and announced Virat Kohli as the winner of the Fielder of the Match award. As applause echoed among the players, Virat Kohli was presented with the medal for his stunning catch to dismiss Matt Henry in the group match against the Kiwis.

Watch as special team member present a medal to Virat Kohli:

The case of a missing fielding medal 🤔

And an important member of the team presenting it 🤝🏻

Some fun moments post the #NZvIND game 😁

WATCH 🎥🔽 #TeamIndia | #ChampionsTrophy

— BCCI (@BCCI) March 3, 2025

Speaking about the catch, Varun Chakravarthy delivered a full, rapid delivery aimed at the middle stump, forcing Matt Henry into an aggressive shot. Looking to power it straight down the ground, Henry ended up getting more height than distance.

The ball soared into the night sky, but Virat Kohli, who was stationed at long-off, charged in confidently and positioned himself perfectly to complete the stunning catch to help Chakravarthy complete his five-wicket haul in the last group match of the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy 2025.