India's star all-rounder Washington Sundar clinched the Impact Player of the Series medal after the Suryakumar Yadav-led side defeated Australia 2-1 in the five-match T20I series after the fifth clash in Brisbane washed out due to rain.
Sundar, after clinching the Impact Player of the Series medal
The Board of Control for Cricket in India shared a 'Dressing Room BTS' clip where Team India's operations manager, Rahil Khaja, presented him with the award.
"Coming over here and getting an opportunity to play in Australia is amazing, and to have contributed to the team's victory makes me definitely happy," said the 26-year-old Sundar after receiving the medal.
Sundar's performance in T20Is against Australia
Sundar played a crucial role in India's win during the third T20I, where he was promoted up the order and he top-scored with a match-winning 49 off 23 balls, striking four sixes and three boundaries to guide India to a five-wicket win that levelled the series 1-1.
After that in the fourth clash, he was held back with the ball until the death overs, but responded by taking three wickets in five deliveries across two overs, triggering an Australian collapse that secured India's 48-run victory. That win helped the Men in Blue to seal the series 2-1 after the fifth match was washed out at the Gabba.
Sundar praised India's operations manager Rahil Khaja
Sundar also praised Khaja's contribution to making players' jobs easy
"It's such a great feeling to get this medal from him. We know the kind of work he (Khaja) puts in every single day to make a lot of our jobs very easy," he said.
An emotional Khaja, too, shared his delight: "I mean, the first time in my life... I'm just like, looking at this. Actually, we've done this."
Sundar has played 57 T20Is where he has an average of just over 22 with an economy under seven, and a batting strike rate exceeding 134. He is also a great player in Tests for India, having taken 35 wickets from 15 matches with three four and one five-wicket hauls. He also has one century and five fifties while averaging 44.76.