Fielding medal was to inspire all, says T Dilip

Bengaluru: One of the things that’s become a big hit on social media during this World Cup is the fielding medal presentation done by the Indian cricket team post every game. Fielding coach T Dilip announces who he thinks is the best fielder of the day in the dressing room and hands him a medal with congratulatory messages coming from a legendary name.

With the whole video capturing the insides of the dressing room — normally a sacred space which players don’t like to be intruded upon — fans have lapped on to it, with all the videos going viral. Fielding coach T Dileep, who started this concept, spoke about it during Sunday’s post-match press conference.         

“Truly heartening to see the response at which the fans gave in social media. But the whole idea about this medal what we represent is that the intent and effort, the spirit you get onto the field, it may not been seen in the stats but it can be felt by everyone who is in the stadium. So what we look at is, yes the catches taken, runs saved is measured but what value be brings on the field is also measured. That is one factor we look into it,” said Dileep.  

The fielding coach also said the award was instituted four months ago. “You are seeing about the medal ceremony in the World Cup but this idea we started four months back where we started to declare the best fielder within the dressing room. The idea behind is to not only encourage the best catch but appreciate the person with consistent performance on the field in a 50-over game. It is very important because 300 balls how you carry the team, whether it is catching, running or intensity.”