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Team India all-rounder Washington Sundar lauded their operations manager Rahil Khaja after receiving the Impact Player medal from him following the fifth T20I against Australia at the Gabba in Brisbane. Sundar hailed Khaja for making players' jobs easy by putting in the hard yards and said he is ecstatic to contribute to the series victory.
The spin-bowling all-rounder played a pivotal role in Men in Blue's victory in the third and fourth T20Is. He starred with the bat in the third, striking a 23-ball 49* with three fours and four sixes, as India successfully chased down 187. The 26-year-old had an impact with the ball in the fourth game, bagging stunning figures of 1.2-0-3-3 as the visitors won by 48 runs.
Speaking in the dressing room after receiving the Impact Player medal on Saturday, November 8, the youngster said:
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"It's such a great feeling to get this medal from him. We know the kind of work he puts in every single day to make a lot of our jobs very easy. And yes coming over here and getting an opportunity to play in Australia is amazing and to have contributed that drove it to the team's victory makes me definitely happy. Thanks all."
The Men in Blue won the five-match series 2-1 after the final T20I in Brisbane was washed out due to rain. Only 4.5 overs of play was possible as Team India reached 52/0.
Team India to face South Africa in their next T20I series
Meanwhile, the Men in Blue will next face South Africa in a series of three T20Is, beginning on December 9 at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack. With the T20 World Cup looming next year, India will be keen to keep their momentum going by winning as many matches as possible. The Asian Giants will also have a series against New Zealand before the mega tournament.
India are the defending champions, having beaten the Proteas in the T20 World Cup 2024 final.
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