Change in approach lifts fielding standards

From escorting the ball to the boundary to sprinting and sliding to stop a certain four, Indian fielding has come a long way.

From time to time, the Indian team had safe ‘catchers’ in its ranks but for the longest of time it lacked the athleticism and agility required for a fielder manning the circle or patrolling the boundary.

The reasons varied from laxity towards the then least glamorous department of the game to fitness issues to quality of outfields in the country. Things perhaps began to change for the better with the appointment of foreign trainers and physios who demanded nothing less than 100 per cent during training. At the same time, the quality of outfields began to improve at the junior level, encouraging youngsters to dive and slide without worrying much about injuries. The evolution of fielding though has taken its own time.

“Over a period of time, the biggest change I have seen is the mindset of the young Indian fielders and the current lot who are playing at the international level,” said Indian team’s fielding coach R Sridhar, who was appointed to the job in August 2014 and has since played a crucial role in enhancing the quality of team’s fielding. The Mysore-born former Hyderabad player hasn’t just worked on their skills, but has imbibed a culture where players take immense pride in their fielding.

“Earlier, fielding was not treated as a primary skill. It was something that you did when you were not batting or bowling. But today, the young cricketers, thanks to excellent facilities and also the advent of different formats of the game, are treating it well. They know they can make a contribution to the team — win or lose by just being a good fielder.

That’s the biggest shift in mind-set at the junior and the senior level. That itself is a big win. Once you start treating something as a primary skill, you can see a lot of improvement. Plus, fitness standards have improved. That also helps a lot in developing fielders,” he explained.

Someone like Ajinkya Rahane, whom Sridhar once described as a complete fielder, works on his skills tirelessly in his effort to improve with every outing. While Rahane is excellent anywhere on the field, his slip catching has been a revelation. He took world record eight catches in the Galle Test against Sri Lanka and has been a sight of relief for a bowler like R Ashwin.

“He's evolving into an excellent slip fielder,” said Sridhar of Rahane. “He's got the temperament and demeanour to be a good slip fielder. Let's make no bones about it -- he works really hard at it. He takes hundreds of catches and he is very specific about where he wants them, what he wants to do, at what height he wants them, what he's likely to get in the match. Also he's got excellent understanding of the angles, the pace, the depth of the ball which is likely to come. Perception is something he's developing standing in the slips,” he reasoned.

The modern day game, especially with the arrival of T20 cricket, places as much importance on fielding as it does on batting and bowling. A dropped catch or a misfield draws as much criticism as a bad shot or a poor delivery does. The current bunch of cricketers, which derives great pleasure while fielding, often leaves Sridhar overworked in their effort to match the best in the business.

“Each and every guy, even in the practice if you see, they are the ones who are pushing me, ‘I want to do this, I want to move to my left and get my throw right, I want slip catches low on right’…things like that,” he pointed out. “They are the ones who are coming and pushing me and that is a big plus, a big positive from my point of view. The players exactly know what they want to achieve when they come out on the practice field and they are driven to improve. Like Rohit (Sharma) said at the beginning of the series that over a period of time this team will be one of the best fielding teams in the world. So it is player-driven and my job is to help them be at their best they can be,” he explained.
DH News Service