Harare [Zimbabwe]: VVS Laxman, who served as India's head coach for the five-match series T20I against Zimbabwe, honoured star finisher Rinku Singh with the 'Fielder of the Series' award following their 4-1 triumph.
India began the post-Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma T20I era by capping off the series with an imposing 42-run win in the fifth match on Sunday.
Even without the presence of the stalwart duo, the tradition of handing the 'Fielder of the Series' continued in the new era.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) posted a video of the ceremony on X, with Subhadeep Ghosh announcing the winner of the medal.
Before the ceremony, he showed a video message from former India fielding coach T Dilip, who emphasised the importance of fielding.
"Boys, fielding has always been a 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, hailed each player for the contribution that they made during the series. While talking about the importance of catches, Ghosh 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 the efforts that he made throughout the series that 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.
—ANI