Rinku Singh Bags 'Fielder of the Series' Award in India's Zimbabwe Triumph

VVS Laxman, India's head coach for the five-match T20I series against Zimbabwe, honored star finisher Rinku Singh with the 'Fielder of the Series' award following India's 4-1 triumph. The series marked the beginning of the post-Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma T20I era, and the tradition of awarding the 'Fielder of the Series' continued.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) shared a video of the ceremony on Instagram, where Subhadeep Ghosh announced the winner. Before the ceremony, a video message from former India fielding coach T Dilip was played, emphasizing the importance of fielding.

"Boys, fielding has always been paramount to us in Indian cricket, and it's an aspect of the game where we have set high standards over the years. We should aim to continue to strive for excellence in this area. As we all know, we follow a tradition, which is the fielding medal. The medal is given to a player that makes a significant impact in the game with their fielding," Dilip said.

Ghosh, who served as India's fielding coach for the series, praised each player for their contributions. While highlighting the importance of catches, he announced Rinku as the winner of the 'Fielder of the Series' award.

"Another good day in fielding. I think it was a terrific effort from each and every one. I think, in the last five months, we have been thrown into different scenarios and different challenges. As I always say, catching is very, very important. If you take the catches, you can control the game, and you can dominate the game, which we did today," Ghosh said.

"Every time he steps on the ground, I think he always says, I stand up. I think he always steps on the ground, putting no tools from me. I think this is going to Rinku Singh," he concluded.

Ghosh called Laxman to present the medal to Rinku for his efforts throughout the series, which saw him complete six catches.

"I really enjoyed playing with everyone. It was my 4th or 5th series, so I really enjoyed it. To be honest, I like batting and fielding a lot. I enjoy it a lot. It's a lot of fun. It's a lot of fun to run. So what else can I say, God's Plan," Rinku said.

India's next tour will be against Sri Lanka, marking the first assignment of new head coach Gautam Gambhir. The tour will begin with a three-match T20I series on July 27 at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium. The T20I series will be followed by a three-match ODI series, beginning on August 2 at R Premadasa Stadium.

Tags: #Cricket, #T20I, #India, #Zimbabwe, #VVS