Impact Fielder of the Series award goes to Sai Sudharsan for his incredible Klaasen catch.

India defeated South Africa in the third and final ODI match of the series on Thursday, December 21 at Boland Park, Paarl, to win the three-match series. India scored a whopping 296/8 in their allocated 50 overs after being allowed to bat first, thanks in large part to a century from Sanju Samson (108 off 114).

India won by 78 runs after South Africa was bowled out for 218 in response After 32 overs, the Proteas were on 170/4 with Heinrich Klaasen (17* off 20) and David Miller (4* off 5) at the crease, meaning they were in the match. But in the 33rd over, Sai Sudharsan made a superb catch, leaping forward after Klaasen chipped the ball in the air towards midfield. That shifted the tide of the match. The dismissal caused a breakdown, which threw South Africa’s pursuit off course.

As a result of his outstanding performance on the field, Sudharsan was also given the title of “Impact Fielder of the Series.” The young player, who was in a fierce rivalry with KL Rahul, was shown receiving the award from fielding coach Ajay Ratra in a video that the BCCI posted on social media.

Throughout the series, a few noteworthy catches were made. Throughout the match, we had a total of 12 catches, of which KL Rahul had six. Samson took one while playing fielding and one as a wicketkeeper. Sai also made a fantastic catch today. The choice between KL and Sai was close. Ratra stated in the video, “I am usually tempted to present the honor to a wicketkeeper, but KL was kind enough to give the trophy to Sai.

 

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A full length dive and Sai sends Paarl into the wave of silence.#SouthAfrica in trouble.

Tune-in to the 3rd #SAvIND ODI
LIVE NOW | Star Sports Network#Cricket pic.twitter.com/vJ99KIdqh8

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) December 21, 2023

The series’ second-highest run scorer was Sai Sudharsan.

In addition to his outstanding defensive performance, the 22-year-old had a fantastic series at bat, finishing as the second-highest run scorer in his debut for his country. With two half-centuries to his credit, the southpaw scored 127 runs in three innings at an average of 63.50 and a strike rate of 89.43.