India's 2023 World Cup fielding medal winner's list - who has won it the most times so far?
How a sports team is performing on the field often determines how the fans judge the behind-the-scenes atmosphere. When they win, on-field laughs are called a sign of dressing-room camaraderie. When they lose, the same laughs are labeled as arrogance, and conspiracy theories about rifts are peddled left, right, and center.
You can say the same is happening with India at the 2023 World Cup. With seven straight wins, they are at the top of the points table and have become the first team to qualify for the semi-finals. Everything seems good, few are talking about issues with team balance and even factual reporting is being punished as pessimism.
But even still, the fielding medal ritual has come as a breath of fresh air. In an era where interviews are PR-treated and videos are re-checked a hundred times, this unofficial ceremony gives a peak into the humanness of the players, their child-like excitement and
In our attempt to add to the fun, we have curated a list of the players who have won the medal the most times so far:
#3 Virat Kohli, Shardul Thakur, and Ravindra Jadeja - 1
Virat Kohli took home the first fielding medal of the tournament after India's win over Australia in Chennai. Kohli grabbed a sharp catch at slips in the first innings.
However, fielding coach T Dilip, the organizer of the ceremony, said Kohli got the prize over Shreyas Iyer, who also fielded brilliantly because the former captain also supported and encouraged others to do well.
After the next match, an eight-wicket win over Afghanistan in Delhi, Kohli handed over the gold medal to Shardul Thakur. The all-rounder had taken a good juggling catch of Afghan opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz at the boundary at a crucial time.
Then, Ravindra Jadeja took the medal ceremony to a whole new level. When he took a blinding catch at point to send back Mushfiqur Rahim in India's fourth match of the tournament, he celebrated by looking at Dilip and asking for the medal. The quality of the grab and the match situation helped him win it too.
The three of them have won the fielding medal once each.
#2 KL Rahul - 2
Between Thakur and Jadeja, wicketkeeper KL Rahul took home his first fielding medal after India's seven-wicket win over Pakistan in Ahmedabad. He took a great forward-diving catch to dismiss Imam ul Haq and Dilip praised him for being brilliant behind the stumps throughout the match.
He won it a second time after India's massive win over England, a couple of matches later. With the ball swinging both ways and Indian pacers wreaking havoc, he was astute and safe as a day behind the stumps again, affecting a caught-behind and a stumping as well.
The first time the announcement of his fielding medal was made on the big screen at the Narendra Modi Stadium. The second time, a mini light show was arranged at the Ekna Stadium in Lucknow for the same.
Apart from showing safe hands behind the stumps and taking crucial catches despite not having enough practice in the leadup to the tournament, Rahul has been a crucial help for Rohit Sharma in DRS decisions.
#1 Winner of the latest fielding medal, Shreyas Iyer - 2
Alongside Rahul, number four batter Shreyas Iyer has won the most fielding medals from T Dilip so far. He got the medal delivered through the spider cam in Dharamshala for taking an excellent catch of Devon Conway at square leg. Following Jadeja's footsteps, he also gestured at Dilip to give him the medal.
The right-hander then won it again on Friday after the record-breaking triumph over Sri Lanka. Iyer took a couple of good catches and Dilip called him a "silent sniper" for showing his intensity in catches and throws despite not being the "loudest" on the field. The great Sachin Tendulkar announced his name for the prize.