5 things that go through a fielder's mind before taking a catch

Fielding during a cricket match, whether it's a Test or an ODI can become cumbersome, tiring and at times, tedious, especially if you’re a batsman who cannot bowl well. There are not many thoughts which run through a player's mind while fielding. They listen to their captain as he makes them move around the field constantly or try and interact with the crowd if they are standing next to the boundary.

But when the batsman hits the ball up in the air and a fielder runs and comes under the ball to take the catch, there are a lot of thoughts which begin to run through a fielder’s head. Human tendency is to think of all that could go wrong before performing a particular task, and thus, fielders tend to think of the worst before taking a catch.

Here are the top 5 things that go in a fielders mind before taking a catch.

Note: This is a humour piece, and the views should not be taken literally.

#1 Will it hit me?

One of the biggest concerns of every cricketer is the thought of the ball hitting them before they catch it. As the batsman hits it up miles in the air, a fielder dreads coming under it. He hopes for someone else to come and take the catch. But, when there’s no choice, he makes the dreaded decision and gets ready for the inevitable.

One of the main reasons why catches are dropped is because of the fielders tend to think about the ball hitting them and eventually fumble.

Hmmm...maybe, the likes of Munaf Patel and Ashish Nehra thought about this a little too much before taking a catch.

#2 If the ball hits me, what will I do?

As the thought of the ball hitting them on the head runs through their head, players couldn’t help but think about the fact about what would happen if they ball did hit them. They begin to worry about the fact that they might end up getting injured or going to the hospital and miss a few matches.

Fielding lesson 101: Always position your hands in such a way that even if you miss the ball, it does not fall on your head.

It looks like Dinesh Karthik, and Sreenath Arvind did not take cricket coaching classes.

#3 How to celebrate

As players begin to get bored in the field, the only thing which they find interesting is the thought of celebrating flamboyantly after taking a catch. Well, if you’re a Dwayne Bravo then you break into a dance after taking a spectacular catch in the outfield and make the spectators dance to your tune.

On the other hand, if you’re a Virat Kohli, you think of ways of shutting the batsmen up and sending them back to the pavilion in a rage.

One thing you surely must not be is a Herschelle Gibbs. You might just ending up dropping the world cup and giving birth to an unbeatable team.

#2What if...I drop it?

One of the biggest fears a batsman has is dropping the catch. Rather than thinking about the fact that a fielder might have given the opposition batsman a lifeline, he begins to worry more about what his teammates would say to him if he drops a sitter.

More than his teammates, he would worry about what that “special” person in the crowd would think about if he drops the catch.

At the end of the day, taking a catch is not a simple as a white ball travelling high up in the air and falling into your hand. It is so much more than that.

#1 Make the catch look tough

To impress the crowd or someone special in particular who is watching from the stands, players start thinking of ways of making the catch look harder than it is. Another reason for players doing so is to make the art of fielding a little more interesting.

Fielding can become cumbersome and boring after a time, especially if during a Test match. Hence, if given the opportunity to take a catch, players tend to make the most of it.

As the ball goes miles up in the air, the fielder who comes under it “misjudges” it and eventually ends up diving and taking a spectacular catch. As the crowd goes wild, the fielder basks in the glory of the moment.