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South African cricketing icon Jonty Rhodes explains how one Inzamam-ul-Haq run out shaped his career
According to him, working on a certain aspect of his game without thinking of it as work is what helped him stand out from the rest.
South African cricketing icon Jonty Rhodes may be one of the game’s only players to have themselves defined by the quality of their fielding.
Often, the ones who score the most runs or hit the most sixes or take the most wickets are fondly remembered by the fans. However, Rhodes has carved out a name for himself solely due to his efforts on the field and the remarkable, gravity-defying theatrics that made him arguably the greatest fielder of all time.
On Wednesday evening, invited by Rotary Club to felicitate owners of a number of booming businesses at the Sheraton Grand Hotel, the former South African cricketer could not be stopped from speaking about the sport he loves with all his heart.
Speaking about the beautiful game, Rhodes narrated incidents from his playing career and explained how fielding was something that set him apart from the rest and probably gave him the spotlight which he otherwise would not get.
IN THE BEGINNING
“My career was launched because of my fielding. It was the fielding that made Jonty Rhodes. Also, one very good photograph of me getting Inzamam-ul-Haq run out by flying into the air and falling onto the wickets was something that elevated my career. I think fielding is not necessarily about good skill. For example, running out Inzamam in that fashion was something I hadn’t done before and I never did it again,” said the cricketing veteran.
Back in Rhodes’ heyday, the concept of a fielding coach was Greek and Latin to professional cricketers as that aspect of the sport wasn’t given as much importance as it is today. Thus, it was a task for Rhodes to not only be a world-class fielder but also to achieve that phenomenon without having the right guidance.
FIELDING COACH
However, the modern game has given rise to a field coach and the 49-year-old is extremely pleased that teams and players have now started taking fielding extremely seriously.
Having worked as a fielding coach for nine years with the Mumbai Indians, Rhodes has seen the impact it has had on the players’ work in the field and believes the game is heading in the right direction.
“During my playing days the concept of a fielding coach did not exist, but I’m glad now it does and I feel I have a small role to play in making it happen. Back in my day, I was my own coach so it was a lot more difficult than it is today but I always loved to field. Even in a 90 overs test match day, I was running for the ball in the final over.”
HARD WORK AND DEDICATION
Hard work is the key to one’s success and this is the mantra that Rhodes has lived by ever since he started playing the sport. According to him, working on a certain aspect of his game without thinking of it as work is what helped him stand out from the rest.
He said, “Yes, I had worked hard on my fielding throughout my career. It was a part of my game that I really enjoyed. If someone asks me whether I spent a lot of time on my fielding, I would say “No”, but if the same person asks my teammates, they’d say that I’m crazy, doing the catching and throwing drills all day. My effort in the field was always a 10/10 but my achievements were probably an 8/10 because I couldn’t throw the stumps down and I dropped a few catches too.”
PLAYING OTHER SPORTS
Apart from just working on one’s fielding to become perfect, Rhodes also suggested that playing other sports is something that can help one’s performances on the field, as it did with him.
At 49, Rhodes continues to lead a very active life and he advises the current generation to consider playing other sports in addition to cricket.
Explaining this in greater detail, the former Mumbai Indians fielding coach stated, “I was hockey, football and tennis player along with being a cricketer. In football and hockey, to save a goal, a goalkeeper gets off his line to cut the angle. So, as a fielder, I would do the same to cut the angle down. It also meant that the ball was coming at me harder so I had to be ready to move left or right.
“Even in tennis, when you can receive a service to your forehand or your backhand, you split jump after the ball has been hit so that you can move either way. I applied the same thing while fielding.”
School for underprivileged kids
Rotary Club Pune invited Jonty Rhodes to Sheraton Grand Hotel on the auspicious occasion of Maharashtra Day at the Sheraton Grand Hotel on Bund Garden Road to felicitate a number of businessmen and also to explain their plans of developing a school at a rural location for the underprivileged kids. This was followed by a talk show where Rhodes was quizzed about fielding techniques, the Indian Premier League (IPL), his thoughts on India and its film industry, among many other things.
