The Indian dressing room turned into a laughter riot on Sunday during the 'Fielder of the Match' ceremony after India's dominant win against New Zealand in the Champions Trophy 2025. India secured a spot in the semifinals with a flawless run in the group stage, but the post-match celebrations took a hilarious turn when the fielding medal went missing.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) shared a video on Monday, capturing the funny incident. Fielding coach T Dilip announced three contenders for the medal Axar Patel, Virat Kohli, and Shreyas Iyer. He then invited India's throwdown specialist Udenka Nuwan Senevirathne to present the medal. However, the medal was nowhere to be seen, leaving everyone puzzled.
Axar, who was sitting with an ice pack on his knee, jokingly said, "Medal hi nahi hai, kaha hai?" (The medal isn't here, where is it?). Dilip suspected Mohammed Shami of hiding it, but the pacer denied any involvement. After a bit of searching, Axar finally found the medal, and Nuwan handed it over to Kohli, who received cheers from his teammates.
Team India await Australia challenge after hattrick of wins
With three consecutive wins, India finished at the top of Group A and will now face Australia in the first semifinal on Tuesday in Dubai. Meanwhile, Australia qualified for the semis with just one win due to rain interruptions in their other two matches.
India started their campaign with wins over Bangladesh and Pakistan by 6 wickets. The final match saw them overcoming New Zealand by 44 runs to top Group A.
India will be eyeing revenge against the Aussies, who defeated them in the 2023 ODI World Cup final. Fans are eagerly waiting for the high-voltage clash between the two cricket giants.
