Rinku Singh wins Impact Fielder of the Series medal after India whitewash Sri Lanka in Super Over thriller

Rinku Singh. (Photo Source: BCCI)

Rinku Singh thwarted competition from Riyan Parag and Ravi Bishnoi to win the coveted Impact Fielder of the Series medal after India defeated Sri Lanka in the Super Over in the third T20I on Tuesday, July 30, in Pallekele.

Suryakumar Yadav started his captaincy career on a special note as the Men in Blue whitewashed Sri Lanka in the three-match series. During the series, the young Indian contingent produced some spectacular fielding efforts. Rinku, who is one of the quickest and safest fielders in Indian cricket, received the award from one of India’s two new assistant coaches – Ryan ten Doeschate.

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The diminutive cricketer took a total of five catches in the series, including one in the Super Over on Tuesday. Rinku was elated upon receiving the medal as he uttered his famous quote: “God’s plan, baby!”

In his customary speech before the presentation, fielding coach T Dilip lauded the players for their efforts on the field, weathering the adverse ground conditions. He compared the job of a fielder in T20 cricket to that of a firefighter, noting that they had to always be on top of their game. This was the second consecutive time that Rinku won the Imact Player of the Series medal as he had also bagged the prize in the recent five-match T20I tour of Zimbabwe.

“The winner is someone who particularly in the second game, in the toughest of conditions, he started the innings quite poorly. Not poorly, he made a few mistakes, and he kept coming harder, and he kept running harder, and he kept going for everything. The winner of this medal for this series is Rinku Singh,” ten Doeschate said in the video posted by the BCCI on their official social media handles.

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India huffed and puffed their way to 137/9 after being asked to bat first in the third T20I. Shubman Gill top-scored for the tourists with a 37-ball 39. Meanwhile, Maheesh Theekshana was the star performer for Sri Lanka with the ball, as he bagged a three-for. In reply, the hosts lost seven wickets for 22 runs at the backend of the innings as the game went into the Super Over, where India came up trumps.