Published: Dec 15, 2015, 10:48 AM (IST)
Edited: Dec 15, 2015, 10:56 AM (IST)
Till the 1990s, barring a few standout players, the Indian cricket team never really looked like a strong fielding unit. However, things changed when youngsters like Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif broke into the side at the turn of century. The duo raised the bar and since then, the standard of Indian team’s fielding has been at par with other teams.
India’s current Test captain and a mainstay in the limiter-overs team, Virat Kohli himself is a brilliant fielder. He has a core-bunch of players under him who don’t mind throwing themselves around, sliding, and displaying tremendous energy on the field. India’s fielding coach R Sridhar recently shared some insights on India’s fielding and Kohli’s role during the usual practice and drills while talking to TOI.
The 45-year-old revealed how Kohli made it mandatory for every player to spend time doing fielding drills. “Just before the Lanka series, Kohli wanted the players to have a 20-minute session of reflex catching in addition to the regular drills in every practice session. That proved to be the trigger and today, the players do much more than 20-minutes, and the results are there for all to see,” added Sridhar.
Sridhar also praised other players, saying “While Ajinkya Rahane has done a splendid job at the slips, we also have fantastic fielders in (Cheteshwar) Pujara, Rohit (Sharma), Murali Vijay and Ravindra Jadeja among others. More importantly, efforts put in by our bowlers such as Ishant Sharma or Amit Mishra on the boundary line too has been exemplary,” said Sridhar.
