Watch: Shreyas Iyer puts himself in gold medal race with spectacular catch against New Zealand in Dharamsala

Shreyas Iyer took a screamer to dismiss Kiwi opener Devon Conway.

Team India got an early break-through against New Zealand at HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala. Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj dismissed in-form Kiwi opener Devon Conway early in the innings. Indian captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and invited New Zealand to bat first. Both teams have won all four league encounters so far and will be fighting hard to keep their unbeaten run going in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023.

Devon Conway played the first over cautiously of Jasprit Bumrah. He was looking to take some time against the new ball and then start to rotate the strike. Conway in Siraj’s second over attempted to play a flick shot, but he couldn’t get past Sherays Iyer. Indian captain Rohit Sharma kept Shreyas Iyer at forward square leg to counter Devon Conwy’s classical flick shot, and as per the plan, Siraj got Devon Conway on duck.

Shreyas Iyer's top-class celebration :

Shreyas Iyer took a screamer of a catch diving to the right to provide India with their first breakthrough in the game. The ball was going low when Iyer attempted a catch, and he grabbed it with both hands. Shreyas Iyer immediately imitated a ‘medal ceremony’ signal back to the dressing room. Indian team management have introduced a ‘gold medal’ award for the fielders who take top catch in the match within the team.

Watch the video here:

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Earlier, against Bangladesh, Ravindra Jadeja celebrated in the same style. Jadeja took a superb catch of Bangladesh wicket-keeper Mushfiqur Rahim in Pune. Jadeja was awarded the ‘gold medal’ for his superb fielding effort. India’s fielding in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 has been top-class. Fielding coach T. Dilip has been credited for the improvement in Indian camp, he earned praise for his coaching efforts.

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Indian team made two changes for the big game in Dharamsala. Suryakumar Yadav is making his World Cup debut. Surya has replaced all-rounder Hardik Pandya in the playing XI. Pacer Mohammed Shami is also making his comeback in the World Cup side. Shami has replaced Shardul Thakur. Team India decided to strengthen their batting-order in Hardik Pandya’s absence and play with only five full-time bowlers.