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Fatigue the reason behind India's below-par fielding?

February 07, 2020 10:59 IST

'We need to identify the right things, it may not be too much technical thing, it can be about fatigue.'

KL Rahul

IMAGE: India wicketkeeper KL Rahul drops a catch during the 4th T20 International against New Zealand in Wellington. Photograph: Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images

India's fielding coach Ramakrishnan Sridhar said that the team has not lived up to the fielding standards which was witnessed during the ICC World Cup last year.

In the ongoing tour of New Zealand, the Indian team has dropped quite a few catches and has not been able to capitalise on the run-out opportunities.

 

"The West Indies series we played at home, is where we were really average in the fielding department. From then on, we are trying to get better, we have not lived up to the standards we showed in the World Cup last year. This is something we should definitely work on," Sridhar said on FRiday, on eve of the second ODI against New Zealand in Auckland.

"In certain matches, ground fielding has been good. New Zealand is a difficult high catching place, but there are no excuses. We are trying to get better. We do look at videos to see where we committed a technical error. Our job is to give all the players the necessary feedback. We have a tight schedule, but it is not a complaint," he added.

In the first ODI, spinner Kuldeep Yadav missed a crucial catch of Ross Taylor and it ended up costing India dearly as the right-hander went on to a match-winning century with the Kiwis registering their highest run-chase in a 50-over match.

However, captain Virat Kohli produced a Jonty Rhodes moment as he ran out Henry Nicholls, giving the Indian fans something to celebrate.

"We have certain parameters when it comes to fielding. We tell the fielders that each player needs to be his own captain. We try to tell them to stay ahead of the game. We empower the fielders so that they can become their own captain," Sridhar said.

"We need to identify the right things, it may not be too much technical thing, it can be about fatigue. Virat's run-out in the last match was great to see, his speed was amazing. The player needs to mentally prepare themselves to perform well on the field," he added.

Source: ANI