(Image Source: Twitter)
[Saba Sports News] In the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, India continued their winning streak by defeating Afghanistan with eight wickets at Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Wednesday, October 11. Afghanistan chose to bat first, setting a target of 272/8 in 50 overs, led by captain Hashmatullah Shahidi’s top score of 80 (88). India, in response, comfortably reached the target in just 35 overs, thanks to a record-breaking century by their captain, Rohit Sharma, who scored 131 runs off 84 balls.
After the game, India’s fielding coach, T Dilip, praised the exceptional efforts of all the fielders, singling out Virat Kohli, Hardik Pandya, and Ishan Kishan for their outstanding fielding performances. However, the best fielder of the match award went to Shardul Thakur for his incredible catch of Rahmanullah Gurbaz on the deep square leg boundary.
Star Indian batter Virat Kohli, the previous recipient of the award in the game against Australia, was surprised by Thakur receiving the accolade and personally presented it to him.
Thakur himself reflected on the crucial catch, saying, “I think that catch came at a crucial moment because Hardik took a chance by bowling the bouncer, and we needed a wicket at that stage. I’m very happy to have made that catch,” as captured in a video uploaded by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
The remarkable catch occurred in the 13th over of the first innings when Rahmanullah Gurbaz pulled a short delivery from Hardik Pandya towards deep square leg. Thakur, stationed on the boundary, displayed great presence of mind as he caught the ball inside the boundary, quickly released it while falling over, and then swiftly got back inside the fence to complete the catch, marking India’s second wicket.
Additionally, Thakur contributed with the ball by dismissing Rahmat Shah in front of the stumps, finishing with figures of 1/31 in six overs.