The ‘Men in Blue’ hitter Sai Sudharsan was awarded the ‘Impact Fielder of the ODI Series’ medal after India defeated South Africa 2-1 in the ODI series. This was due to Sudharsan’s incredible catch in the third ODI against the Proteas. In the third One-Day International at Boland Park in Paarl on Thursday, KL Rahul’s India defeated the Proteas by a score of 78 runs. Indian fielding coach Ajay Ratra praised KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, and Sanju Samson for their outstanding efforts while declaring the winner. Ratra added that it was difficult to select the victor.
Additionally, he disclosed that Rahul, the captain of the “Men in Blue,” had insisted that the fielding coach present the award to the youthful left-handed hitter. “The ODI series features a dearth of outstanding performances. We have taken 12 catches in total against South Africa in the ODI series. KL has grabbed six catches by herself. In her roles as a fielder and a keeper, Sanju has made two catches. Sai made one outstanding catch today. The choice of the top fielder was very close. Rahul and Sai were in a close call. However, Rahul was kind enough to say that Sai should receive this award since he made the catches,” Ratra remarked.
Recap: In the One-Day International (ODI) series against South Africa, India won the first match handily, but the Proteas reversed course and won the second match at Gqeberha by eight wickets. In the series decider, the Men in Blue pulled off an incredible comeback to win the third and final ODI by 78 runs.
This is the second bilateral series that India has won at home against the Proteas. The ‘Men in Blue’ defeated South Africa 5-1 in the series prior to this in 2018. With this victory, KL Rahul joined Virat Kohli (2018) as the only other Indian captain to win an ODI series in South Africa.
