Watch- Ravindra Jadeja beats Axar Patel and Rishabh Pant for this award and does the unthinkable with Rahul Dravid

The Indian cricket team started their Super-8 campaign in the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2024 with a thrilling 47-run victory over Afghanistan on June 20 at the Kensington Oval in Barbados. After the IND vs AFG match, the team's tradition of awarding the best fielder continued in the dressing room.

Unlike the last matches in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024, when special guests like an Indian fan, Yuvraj Singh and Ravi Shastri presented the best fielder medal, this time it was Indian head coach Rahul Dravid, who had the honor of awarding Ravindra Jadeja his first medal of the tournament.

Ravindra Jadeja awarded the Best Fielder of the Match Medal by Rahul Dravid

The star Indian all-rounder Jadeja’s stellar fielding efforts saw him edge out his teammates, including wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant, pacer Arshdeep Singh, and all-rounder Axar Patel, to win his first best fielder of the match award in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024. 

During the Super-8 match between India and Afghanistan, Jadeja took three remarkable catches from Hazratullah Zazai, Mohammad Nabi, and Rashid Khan, which significantly contributed to India's successful defense of their 181 runs at the Kensington Oval in Barbados.

The moment was particularly special as Jadeja expressed his joy by lifting Dravid in celebration after receiving the medal from the legendary cricketer, who was one of the best fielders of his era. The camaraderie within Team India was evident during the medal presentation ceremony, with Jadeja engaging in a playful interaction with Mohammed Siraj.

T Dilip hails Rahul Dravid and Ravindra Jadeja in his dressing room speech

India’s fielding coach, T Dilip, trying to create suspense, said in the video shared by the BCCI on social media: “Today, the medal will be presented by someone, throughout his career, who reacted swiftly and effectively. Executed flawlessly. We have him all the time with us, and he is none other than Rahul Dravid.” Praising Jadeja, Dilip said: “He is known for his lighting skills on the field, but his sharp instincts were full-on display today.”

In a light-hearted exchange, Jadeja humorously called Siraj the best fielder ever and his inspiration. Siraj, who has already won two best fielder medals in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024, along with one received by Pant, joined in the laughter after Jadeja’s appreciation.

In a video shared by the BCCI on social media, Jadeja said: “Thank you so much. This medal is very important, you know, I am very happy to get this medal today. And especially I am very, very inspired by Mohammed Siraj, the one and only, best fielder. Thank you, Siraj, cheers.”

Meanwhile, praising India’s fielding efforts against Afghanistan, Dilip said: “Top stuff guys. Well done. I think one of the key factors in fielding is acclimatized to the venue and conditions. We all adapted quickly and we made our field our own today. Fantastic effort, well done. Each one of you showed tremendous attention to detail, backing up, cutting those angles.”

Watch Here India's Dressing Room scenes -

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Speaking about the match, Suryakumar Yadav (53 runs off 28 balls), Jasprit Bumrah (3/7), Arshdeep Singh (3/36), and Kuldeep Yadav (2/32) were stars in India’s thrilling win over the Afghan side in the Super-8 match. India will next face Bangladesh in Antigua on June 22.