Former Indian fielding coach T Dilip made an interesting revelation about the fielding medal, which was introduced in the Indian team ahead of the ODI World Cup 2023 at home. Interestingly, the former Indian captain Rohit Sharma was the one who approved Dilip’s idea.
Speaking to RevSportz in an exclusive interaction, Dilip recalled that he wanted to have three separate medals for batting, bowling and fielding. However, Rohit suggested doing something for fielders as batters and bowlers are recognised with the POTM award.
“It was during the Asia Cup that the idea first came to me, and I remember taking it to captain Rohit Sharma over breakfast. I had originally envisaged medals for all departments – batting, bowling and fielding – and proposed the idea to Rohit. It was Rohit who suggested that batting and bowling always get recognised with the Player of the Match award, so we needed to do something for fielding. That’s when we zeroed in on the fielding medal,” T Dilip said on RevSportz.
“The first day when we presented the medal is always going to be very special for me. It was something new, and none of us knew whether it would work. That the medal now has a life of its own makes the first day a cherished memory,” he added.
Moreover, the former fielding coach also revealed that the then head coach Rahul Dravid was also hugely supportive of the idea. This move to have the fielding medal really helped to up the whole team’s standards on the field.
“We went to Rahul Dravid, the head coach, and Rahul bhai, as always, was hugely supportive of the idea. For Rahul bhai, it was always team first, and this fitted in very well with his vision. However, I have to say none of us thought that it would become as big,” he concluded.
