“Medal replaced by Belt for today”, Internet breaks down with funny as India drops too many catches against New Zealand.
The IND vs NZ match provided ample fodder for discussion among fans, particularly during the first half of the game. India’s fielding performance left much to be desired and fell short of the high standards they had set in previous matches.
During the IND vs NZ match in Dharamsala, the Indian fielders had a tough day, dropping as many as three catches. Consequently, both the team and their fielding coach, T Dilip, found themselves on the receiving end of humorous memes and trolling on various social media platforms.
The most surprising moment of the day occurred when Ravindra Jadeja, widely regarded as one of the best fielders in the world, dropped a straightforward catch from the left-handed New Zealand batter, Rachin Ravindra. This incident took place at the point position, a spot where Jadeja is typically incredibly agile and rarely makes mistakes.
Daryl Mitchell, on the other hand, received two lifelines. KL Rahul, the Indian wicket-keeper, failed to hold onto his catch off Ravindra Jadeja’s bowling. Mitchell attempted to play a shot on the offside, resulting in an outside edge. However, Rahul couldn’t position his gloves correctly, and the ball hit his palm before deflecting away.
Jasprit Bumrah also contributed to India’s fielding woes when he dropped a catch at the long-off position, one that should have been taken. Adding to India’s woes, the ball was parried away to the boundary for four runs. Daryl Mitchell capitalized on these chances and went on to make a significant impact on the game with a century that boosted New Zealand’s total to over 260 runs. Despite the Indian bowlers staging a comeback and taking regular wickets once they broke the partnership between Mitchell and Rachin, which had yielded 159 runs in 152 balls, those three dropped catches proved costly.
The fielding lapses by the Indian team gave rise to a flurry of memes on Twitter, with fans also playfully questioning whether fielding coach T Dilip would be awarding the fielding medal that day. Here are some of the memes that circulated on social media regarding India’s fielding performance in Dharamsala during the IND vs NZ match.