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Cricket Players'Right now, there's only one…': Jonty Rhodes picks India star as world's best fielder
Former South Africa batter Jonty Rhodes, widely regarded as one of the best fielders the game has ever seen, came up with the ultimate praise for Jadeja.
In the last three or four years Ravindra Jadeja has emerged as one of the most improved cricketers not only in the Indian side but also in the world. He is one of the very few cricketers who remains an automatic pick in all three formats of the game currently. One of the major reasons for that is his ability to contribute in all three departments of the game. He can play as a specialist batter in all conditions and can be the lead spinner in favourable conditions while continuing to be arguably the best all-round fielder in the Indian side.
Former South Africa batter Jonty Rhodes, widely regarded as one of the best fielders the game has ever seen, came up with the ultimate praise for Jadeja - the fielder. Rhodes said there is only one top-quality fielder in world cricket and that is Jadeja. "Right now, there is only one - Ravindra Jadeja," Rhodes told The Times of India when asked to name the current top three fielders in the world.
Jadeja will be turning up for the Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2023. He was the captain of the side at the start of the previous season but stood down midway after CSK's disappointing show. He will have a point to prove this year.
Rhodes, who is the current fielding coach of Lucknow Super Giants narrated how IPL, since its inception back in 2008, has played a key role in improving the fielding standards of cricketers across the globe.
"It is T20 cricket specifically, not just limited overs. Only when IPL began, people really started focusing on fielding. Not every team had fielding coaches. There was enough time in 50-over matches. You had 3-4 good fielders and 6-7 guys didn’t do great. But once IPL started, we saw growth in fielding. Since 2008, around 12-13 years have been amazing. Earlier, people spoke about fielding but there were only 3-4 good individuals. But now, as a team we have seen the growth of fielding go through the roof.
"It is not difficult to focus on fielding because it is a discipline. We have fielding coaches and their job is to make the work done. Just like batting and bowling, it is a part of daily practice. As a fielding coach, I am not requesting players, I am getting them into fielding rules. Fielding now is an important part of cricket," he said.
When asked how to improve the fielding quality of domestic cricket, Rhodes said: "I think more coaches are required. If I go to any academy and any state, I can motivate the players for 3-4 days in a camp. They will be excited and do the drills but in two weeks’ time, they will forget everything or not do things with the same intensity. Cricket is a game of habit and how you practice is important. People think practice makes perfect players but you need perfect practice for perfection. The key is to upskill coaches at domestic level and make sure more youngsters come through as they can easily get into the good habit of fielding at an early stage. We should focus on coaches. If I train players, the impact is on 10-12 players but if I can train 5-6 coaches, the impact will be on 100 players."
