Legendary South African cricketer Jonty Rhodes, who has always been known for his exceptional fielding skills during his playing days, has named India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja as the best fielder in the world at the moment. Jadeja will be plying his trade for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) as they take on defending champions Gujarat Titans in the opening match of IPL 2023.
Speaking to Time of India, Jonty Rhodes named Jadeja as the best fielder in modern-day cricket, while adding that people really started focusing on fielding after the advent of the IPL. Rhodes is the current fielding coach of Lucknow Super Giants, who finished third last season.
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Explaining the same, Jonty Rhodes said, “Right now, there is only one – Ravindra Jadeja. It is T20 cricket specifically, not just limited overs. Only when IPL began, people really started focusing on fielding.”
He went on to say that now teams are focusing on being good fielding sides as a collective rather than having 3-4 good fielders in their side, while insisting that fielding has now become an important part of cricket.
Jonty Rhodes further stated, “Once IPL started, we saw growth in fielding. Since 2008, around 12-13 years have been amazing. Earlier, people spoke about fielding but there were only 3-4 good individuals. But now, as a team we have seen the growth of fielding go through the roof. Fielding now is an important part of cricket.”
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Rhodes said it is important for more fielding coaches to be required in the dugouts of various teams across the world, adding that it takes perfect practice to achieve perfection. Rhodes took 105 catches in ODIs while claiming a further 34 catches in Test matches.
Jonty Rhodes explained, “I think more coaches are required. If I go to any academy and any state, I can motivate the players for 3-4 days in a camp. They will be excited and do the drills but in two weeks’ time, they will forget everything or not do things with the same intensity. Cricket is a game of habit and how you practice is important. People think practice makes perfect players but you need perfect practice for perfection.”
