While Indian slip fielding is not in the top form, the India A and India U19 fielding coach Abhay Sharma has spoken about the slip fielding training and also informed some special innovative technique that builds up more powerful fielding.

Prior to the second unofficial Test between India A and South Africa A at Bengaluru, which has begun on Friday, Abhay Sharma has told Sportstar about the slip fielding training process. Instead of using the real cricket balls, the fielding coach uses fake leather balls to prevent from any serious injury.

Talking about that technique, Abhay Sharma told Sportstar, “The ball wobbles a lot at slips. I am using balls that wobble more than cricket balls. They are of different colours. This ball doesn’t hurt as much as leather balls but it wobbles a lot.”

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Abhay Sharma was the fielding coach of India U-19 cricket team who won the 2018 ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup in New Zealand in this early February.

Talking about the balls that he is using in training, Sharma said, “I was in Lucknow and I saw a ball being used in street cricket. So I picked it. It is not a leather ball, but it gives you a feeling that it is. At times, you can get an idea from the streets also. It is a matter of making a complete package of a fielder at the international level.”

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Sharma also spoke out how they are preparing the U-19 and A-level boys for the senior level.

Sharma said about the process, “From the U-19 to the A-level, we are ensuring these boys are prepared mentally, and skill-wise, for the senior level as this is the feeding line for the senior team. That’s the whole idea.”

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While the India U-19 cricket team was the top-class fielding side during the 2018 U-19 WC, Sharma has credited the head coach and former Indian captain Rahul Dravid.

He concluded, “It was Rahul’s idea, backed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India. The India U-19 World Cup team was a top-class fielding side. We worked for one-and-a-half years on skills and agility. We work individually according to the ability of the player.”