Top 3 Indian fielders since 2000

During the early years of their cricketing history, India were not known as a great fielding side. In the past, the outfields on Indian pitches had prevented them from producing great fielders. It looked hard and less grassy, hence one would hesitate to dive on the Indian grounds.

But in recent times, both the state of the outfields and Indian fielding have improved greatly. Current Indian captain Virat Kohli stresses more on fitness. Former captain Dhoni also gave more importance to fielding. This helped the Men in Blue transform themselves into one of the best fielding outfits in the world.

Fielding is one of the key aspects of the game. It can help the team to win matches. India are currently blessed with the likes of Hardik Pandya, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja who are all strong athletes.

In this article, let's look at India's three best fielders since 2000.

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#3 Ravindra Jadeja

Ravindra Jadeja

Ravindra Jadeja has been around in the Indian team for quite a few years. He is India's go-to man when it comes to fielding. The captain can place him anywhere on the field, and he does the job. Its hard to place the ball around him when he fields inside the circle during the power play.

The left-hander is one of the best fielders in the world. The opponent batsman won't risk taking the elusive second run as his throw is just like a rocket.

When it comes to direct-hits, Jadeja has the ability to pounce on an opportunity. He has effected many memorable run outs. The southpaw has taken 101 catches for India across all three formats in international cricket. If he gets picked for the World Cup, he could be a great asset for the Men in Blue on the field.

#2 Suresh Raina

Suresh Raina

Suresh Raina has played 322 international matches across all three formats for India. He has led by example on many occasions on the field. The southpaw is known for taking some brilliant catches at slips. He has been a regular slip fielder to the spinners in ODIs.

Raina is one of the most reliable outfielders. He has an Australian style when it comes to taking outfield catches. Australians are used to taking their catches with fingers pointing up, and not many Indian fielders do this on the field.

Raina is one of the five Indian fielders to take over 100 catches in ODI cricket. Azharuddin, Sachin, Dravid and Kohli are the other four. The left-hander has taken 167 catches across all three formats for India.

Raina also has a great record in the IPL. He needs five more catches to become the first cricketer to take 100 catches in the IPL.

#1 Mohammad Kaif

Mohammad Kaif

Mohammad Kaif is one of the best fielders India have ever produced. He came to the limelight during his match-winning partnership with Yuvraj Singh in the 2002 NatWest Trophy final at Lord's.

Kaif's batting form wasn't great, but he was consistently an asset on the field. During the Ganguly era, India were not blessed with great fielders. Only a few of them, like Yuvraj and Kaifl were regarded as the best.

Kaif used his athletic body to throw himself on the field. He never hesitated to dive on hard outfields and also took some blinders inside the circle. He also effected some stunning run outs too.

At his peak, it was blissful for Indian fans to see their countryman fielding brilliantly. It had been something they had witnessed only with overseas cricketers before then.

Kaif took 55 catches in ODIs and 14 catches in Tests. The numbers, however, won't reveal how stunning he was in the field.