The Indian team celebrated joyously in the dressing room after securing a historic ODI series victory over South Africa on Thursday. This marked the second time the Men in Blue won an ODI series in South Africa, with the initial triumph occurring in 2018 with a 5-1 score under the captaincy of Virat Kohli.
The BCCI routinely shares behind-the-scenes videos on their website, and the most recent footage captured the Indian players exuding immense happiness following their remarkable 78-run win in Paarl to clinch the series.
Next, the series head coach, Sitanshu Kotak, recognized Sanju Samson for his outstanding maiden ODI century and applauded Arshdeep Singh for securing four wickets and earning the Player of the Series accolade.
Continuing the tradition of awarding the Impact Fielder medal for the series, stand-in fielding coach Ajay Ratra mentioned that Captain KL Rahul had more points, but the wicketkeeper generously passed the award to Sai Sudharsan. This heartfelt gesture is likely to boost the young player’s confidence.
You can watch the video here:
“There were a few notable catches during the series. Overall, we took 12 catches during the contest, with KL Rahul taking six of them. Samson took two – one as a wicketkeeper and other as a fielder. And Sai took a brilliant catch today.”
”It was a tight decision between KL and Sai. I am always tempted to give the award to a wicketkeeper, but KL was generous enough to give the award to Sai,” said Ratra in a video shared by BCCI.
India’s major positive is the impressive performance of young players
Given the rest to several senior players from India’s 2023 World Cup squad for the Test series, it was an opportunity for the youngsters to make a mark. Arshdeep Singh not only took 10 wickets in the series but also demonstrated his batting potential.
Sai Sudharsan’s consecutive half-centuries and a crucial catch of Heinrich Klaasen in the third ODI illustrated his valuable contributions. Tilak Varma and Rinku Singh impressed, and Sanju Samson reiterated his ability to be a game-changer with the bat when provided consistent opportunities.
Get the latest cricket news here, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more such updates.