Former India fielding coach R Sridhar heaped praise on his successor, T Dilip, saying that he continued to uphold high fielding standards in the Indian team. Dilip’s extension as fielding coach must have taken place on the strength of his immense contribution towards the team’s success in the just-concluded 2023 ODI World Cup and the upcoming 2024 T20 World Cup.
“Dilip deserves all the credit for the team’s fielding prowess,” R Sridhar said. “It is real dedication and hard work behind the scenes that have gone into changing the Indian team into a really good fielding side.”
He added that even the support staff is a key ingredient in India’s fielding excellence, be it Vikram Rathour, Paras Mhambrey, or Rahul Dravid. He told the team that such success was the result of meticulous planning, hard work, and a very good support system.
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T Dilip introduced the fielding medal and added some very interesting, engaging post-game videos. Such activities, according to Sridhar, have added a very competitive streak across the team’s morale and performance.
“The fielding medal has thrown up healthy competition among the players,” said R Sridhar. “Again, it is a small gesture but has become a significant point in the success of this team.”
Drawing a comparison with the past, he said that when legends like Kapil Dev and Sachin Tendulkar retired, new heroes came into the scene. While acknowledging the huge inputs made by the retiring stalwarts Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja toward fielding for India, Sridhar was sure that the younger generation would step up.
One of the most iconic moments on the field in recent times was the sensational catch by Suryakumar Yadav to dismiss David Miller during the T20 World Cup final. According to Sridhar, such an exceptional feat was due to a mixture of fitness, practice, and mental alertness. He insisted that regular fielding drills created such match-winning moments.
“Suryakumar’s catch was because of some intense practice and good amount of physical fitness,” R Sridhar explained. “Every fielder in the team undergoes rigorous training to execute such fielding brilliance under pressure.”
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Sridhar’s insights provide a valuable context to India’s resurgence as a fielding team. In fact, the success of this team in this department actually testifies to the hard work and dedication put in by both the coaching staff and the players. With people like Dilip at the helm, the future of Indian fielding looks promising.
