India's dynamic fielding upsurge under R Sridhar

When fleet-footed Ravindra Jadeja zings across the turf to pick the ball single-handedly and rocket a direct-hit at the wickets to catch the batsman millimeters short, the cricketing fraternity gasps in awe of the incredible athleticism on display.

When exuberant Hardik Pandya dives full-length in the air to pluck an absolute blinder, one distinctly perceives that Indian cricket has undergone a tremendous metamorphosis in the fielding department under the watchful guidance of the present fielding coach Ramakrishnan Sridhar.

Gone are the days when primary skills like batting and bowling were sufficient to fetch an individual a place in the national squad. Superlative fielding has progressively become an integral requirement in the modern game.

Recently, Sridhar has been justifiably rewarded with a prolonged tenure with the Men in Blue, a testimony to his relentless hard work and dedication to ameliorate the standards of groundwork by leaps and bounds.

Holistic approach

Sridhar emphasizes on a meticulous approach to fielding skills- jotting down every fumble, dropped catch, missed run-out opportunity into his logbook to maintain a holistic analysis. Comprehensive databases where every delivery is tracked and recorded facilitate his interpretation of the strengths and weaknesses of each specific player in the team.

Skipper Virat Kohli, Manish Pandey, Jadeja, and Pandya have always been terrific athletes and you always expect them to be brilliant on the field. However, it is Sridhar's ability to operate harmoniously with the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Kedar Jadhav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Cheteshwar Pujara, and Ravichandran Ashwin who are not considerably blessed with prolific diving or running abilities, that makes him stand out as a fielding coach.

Bumrah, who wasn't the swiftest of movers at the beginning of his international career, has remarkably transformed into a competent fielder over the years, inflicting six run-outs in 2017. When a rather torpid Kedar Jadhav lasered a flat throw from the deep end to send Finch packing, the significant difference was evident. In fact, in 2018, the Indian fielding unit saved 315 runs and only 20 catches out of the 102 overall went begging.

"The mindset of the players combined with the increased levels of fitness, and then we can chip in with the technical aspect of fielding and the awareness and anticipation part. So combining all this definitely helps them improve their fielding skills," feels Sridhar.

The former Hyderabad left-arm spinner also credits the yo-yo test as one of the prominent reasons behind India's evolving stature in the field.

The right methodology to provide adequate importance to groundwork and catching skills, incorporated with rigorous physical fitness has lubricated India's escalation to the pinnacle as arguably the best fielding side in the world.

Also see – Dream 11 predictions