‘We did make a few errors, don’t want it to be swept under the carpet’ – R Sridhar points out reason behind India’s poor catching Down Under
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R Sridhar
India registered a historic Test series win on their tour Down Under. And the highlight of the win was the tourist’s leg trap. The bowlers executed the plan to perfection as they were able to tame the likes of Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne in their own den. While the bowlers were lauded for their accurate execution, the other side of the coin went unnoticed.
Fielding played a crucial role in the trap as the fielders held on to some great catches. Fielding coach R Sridhar shares that he had to went under the helmet to train the players for tricky positions at leg slip, leg gully, backward short leg, backward square leg.
“We asked someone to throw the ball hard, I was wearing a helmet and we were flicking the ball on to the leg side to prepare for that plan,” Sridhar told Hindustan Times. “We identified the fielders who were likely to stand there, and we had someone throwing and flicking or pulling the ball to the leg gully or leg slip area. And practised catches for that like we would practice for the backward short-leg position.”
We addressed it within the group
The visitors, who are one of the best fielding units in the world, put up a dismal show on the field during the tour. Sridhar feels that the intensity of the games and that of shifting formats is what led to such results. But he asserts that the errors shouldn’t be downplayed down and the issue has been addressed.
“We did make a few errors. I don’t want it to be swept under the carpet. We had spoken about it, and we corrected it in Sydney and Melbourne where we caught really well,” he said. “A couple of catches went down in Brisbane, where the intensity of the game was different. But that happens, we addressed it within the group and everybody understands what needs to be done, what mindset is required at different junctures of the game. The mindset differs from the white-ball game to the red-ball game, and the shift has to be made by the player. But we’ve got to cut them some slack.”
After being dropped from the limited-overs side, Rishabh Pant bounced back in the Test series. He played two crucial knocks to help India to the series win. But his poor glovework yet again played spoilsport. Sridhar feels that Pant needs to work on his wicketkeeping skills. And he has time and hunger to improve if given an opportunity.
“The key aspect for him is working hard on his technique and glove work. He is someone who has understood now what needs to be done and is putting in a lot of hours. He is sacrificing his batting time and allotting it for his wicketkeeping. It is a great shift in mindset for him. Pant is a work in progress, he will definitely improve and he has got age on his side. He is putting in the hard yards on his glove work, and fingers crossed he will do well against England, if he gets an opportunity,” Sridhar said.
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Anshuman Mahapatra
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