Pallekele, July 31
Star India batter Rinku Singh bagged the 'Fielder of the Series' award following Men in Blue's 3-0 triumph over Sri Lanka in the T20I series.
Newly appointed head coach Gautam Gambhir's era started with a massive 3-0 series win over Sri Lanka, after Team India successfully beaten the hosts in the final game on Tuesday.
The X handle of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) posted a video of the medal ceremony, which takes place after every game in the dressing room.
In the third T20I match of the series, Rinku Singh made some crucial catch attempts, which helped the Men in Blue dominate Sri Lanka.
India head coach T Dilip announced the contenders for the 'Fielder of the Series' award and named Ravi Bishnoi, Rinku Singh and Riyan Parag. However, assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate awarded the 'Fielder of the Series' medal to the 26-year-old.
https://x.com/BCCI/status/1818489261899104573
Recapping the match, Sri Lanka won the toss and opted to bowl against India.
It was a team performance from the Men in Blue in the first innings, all the batters contributed while setting a target. Shubman Gill (39 runs from 37 balls, 3 fours) was the highest run-getter among his teammates. Riyan Parag (26 runs from 18 balls, 1 four and 2 sixes) and Washington Sundar (25 runs from 18 balls, 2 fours and 1 six) played a crucial role in the death overs and powered India to 137/9 after the end of the 20 overs.
Maheesh Theekshana led the Sri Lanka bowling attack and he bagged three wickets for 28 runs in his four-over spell. Wanindu Hasaranga also picked up two wickets and gave away 29 runs.
During the run chase, Kusal Perera (46 runs from 34 balls, 5 fours) and Kusal Mendis (43 runs from 41 balls, 3 fours) were the top performers for the hosts in the final T20I game of the series and propelled Sri Lanka to 137/8 to take the match into the super over. Opener Pathum Nissanka (26 runs from 27 balls, 5 fours) also played a supportive role while batting.
The talking point of the match is Rinku Singh and skipper Suryakumar Yadav taking two wickets each in their respective spells. The India skipper defended six runs in the final over and forced the match into the super over. Ravi Bishnoi and Washington Sundar also took two wickets in their respective spells.
In the super over, the hosts could only score 2/2 after batting first. While chasing, Suryakumar Yadav ended the match with the first ball after he smashed a sweep towards the short fine leg for a four.
Washington Sundar was named the Player of the Match. Meanwhile, Suryakumar Yadav was awarded the Player of the Series title.