Virat Kohli’s laughter at Axar Patel’s surprise nomination for best fielder award
Star batter Virat Kohli couldn’t stop laughing when he saw Axar Patel‘s surprised reaction to being nominated for the best fielder award after the India vs Afghanistan match. India delivered another impressive all-around performance, defeating Afghanistan by 47 runs in Super 8 clash of the ICC T20 World Cup 2024.
The best fielder award tradition was started during the 2023 ODI World Cup. Team India’s fielding coach T Dilip was proud of the players’ performance against the Afghans. Dilip lauded the team’s exceptional situational awareness, which helped them get off to a strong start in the Super 8 stage. He then revealed the nominees for the award, starting with Arshdeep Singh as the first contender, followed by Ravindra Jadeja, and then Axar.
Upon hearing his name, Axar was utterly shocked, and Kohli broke in laughter.
Axar took the catch which ended Azmatullah Omarzai’s innings. Rishabh Pant, who took three catches, was the last name nomination for the medal. Ultimately, Jadeja received the medal, which was given by India coach Rahul Dravid.
After Winning the toss, India elected to bat first. However, their innings started shakily as they lost opener Rohit Sharma early. Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant then built a promising partnership, but both were dismissed in quick succession. Suryakumar Yadav then took control, stabilizing the innings and finding a suitable partner in Hardik Pandya.
Suryakumar’s blistering 53 and Hardik’s gritty 32 propelled India to a competitive 181-run in 20 overs. The crucial 60-run partnership between the pair ensured India had a solid score to defend.
India’s bowlers, led by Jasprit Bumrah’s devastating spell of 3/7 in 4 overs, struck early to reduce Afghanistan to 23/3 in their chase. Gulbadin Naib and Azmatullah Omarzai tried to revive the innings, but Bumrah’s brilliance and Arshdeep Singh’s 3-wicket haul maintained India’s control. Afghanistan lost the contest by 47 runs, as India clinched a dominant win.
India will now play against Bangladesh on June 22.
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