BackA field guide to the World Cup
Fielding is now as important a skill as batting or bowling at cricket's biggest tournament
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Fielding is something we pride ourselves on. It is a major part of modern cricket irrespective of the format. We are a fantastic fielding side and it has reflected in the ODIs (One Day Internationals) that we have played in the last few years," India’s captain M.S. Dhoni said at a press conference in Melbourne on 17 January, before his team took on Australia in an ODI match.
It was perhaps the first time that an Indian captain had been heard praising this aspect of the team. It also underlined one inescapable truth of modern cricket: Fielding is just as important and indispensable a skill as bowling or batting.
Fielding’s rightful place in the cricket skill set has been a long time coming. Think back to the finest, most defining moments of past world cups, and it is astonishing how many of them are centred around a great piece of fielding:
u 1975, the first World Cup: Viv Richards effects three stunning run-outs for the West Indies in their final against Australia. From 1 for 81, Australia are reduced to 4 for 162 while chasing 292. Richards, the swaggering destroyer with the bat, had scored but 38 runs in four matches during the tournament. But his fielding won the Cup for the West Indies.
u 1983, the third World Cup: This time the tables are turned. It’s Richards who is caught, by India’s captain Kapil Dev, sprinting with his back to the ball, miraculously keeping his balance and his composure as the ball comes down over his shoulder.
u 1992, the fifth World Cup: The birth of the first fielding icon in cricket. The enduring image of that World Cup—an improbably athletic Jonty Rhodes of South Africa flying through the air, running out Pakistan’s Inzamam-ul-Haq. The standards of fielding, what was thought possible, were to change forever. For the first time, fielding appeared “sexy", it looked glamorous, and its appeal was irresistible.
“I don’t see myself as somebody who changed the fielding," Rhodes says on phone from his home in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. “I think the game of cricket had evolved in such a way that fielding was the only place where cricket could improve further."
By 2003, diving catches and brilliant run-outs had become more the rule than the exception. At the 2011 World Cup, for example, there were spectacular fielding efforts in almost every match; in the quarter-final between South Africa and New Zealand, there was one lightning run-out, and four great catches, including a superb running catch by Kiwi bowler Jacob Oram that tilted the match in New Zealand’s favour.
“I believe ODI cricket, and particularly the world cup, played a great role in giving fielding the appropriate standing which it deserved," says Maninder Singh, who played in the 1987 World Cup. “Maddipa (Madan Lal), who was my senior in the Delhi (team), once told me that fielding is the only area of cricket where you don’t need luck. The harder you work, the better you become, was his mantra, and I truly embraced that philosophy."
Coaches too followed this philosophy, turning their focus more and more on fitness and fielding drills.
“The Rhodes run-out (of Inzamam) was certainly an indelible sight for cricketers. However, it was the likes of Zimbabwe and New Zealand which actually showed the world how a great fielding unit can make a very competitive cricket team even if you did not have a lot of great batsmen or bowlers," says Mohammad Kaif who, along with Yuvraj Singh, was the flag bearer of India’s fielding in the new century.
Dav Whatmore, the 1996 World Cup winning coach of Sri Lanka, instilled the value of quality fielding in his team, and it played its part in Sri Lanka winning the cup. From 1999-2007, Australia’s hat-trick of world cup titles also owed a lot to its marvellous fielders.
The 2011 champions, India, were perhaps one of the first prosaic fielding sides to win a world cup. Partly due to home conditions, partly due to the format of the tournament, and mostly because of extraordinary batsmen, India somehow managed to mask their embarrassing fielding. Dhoni is well aware that this time there is no escape route.
“On grounds with big outfields it is important to judge where to stand because on these grounds the batsmen like to push the ball between two fielders and run two-three runs," Dhoni said at the press conference.
“Today, India are certainly among the top three fielding sides of the world," says Kaif. “The likes of (Virat) Kohli, (Suresh) Raina, (Ajinkya) Rahane and (Ravindra) Jadeja have given a new identity to Indian fielding."
If good slip fielders were and still are absolutely necessary for success in Test cricket, ODI cricket puts the onus on the point and cover region in the first 15 overs and midwicket, long on and long off in the last 15 overs. As the game progressed rapidly, the role and demands from a great fielder changed too.
“I think Andrew Symonds was a special fielder. He was a big man but a great athlete. He could field in the inner ring, at the boundary line, and could also throw effortlessly from the deep. He was an all-rounder fielder. (Kieron) Pollard is also the same," says Rhodes.
Today, there are special and sometimes separate fielding drills and practice sessions for Test matches and Twenty20s (T20s). While the improvement in batting and bowling may not be easily visible, the rapid improvement in fielding is obvious.
As much as a purist may loathe the T20 or the Indian Premier League (IPL), it is hard to dismiss the fact that fielding has benefited immensely from this format.
“T20 cricket and, of course, the IPL have significantly improved fielding standards. Teams have employed specialist fielding coaches because every run is important in this format," says Rhodes, who is the fielding coach of the IPL team Mumbai Indians. “The intensity of fielding during a T20 match is great."
Vimal Kumar is the author of Sachin: Cricketer Of The Century and The Cricket Fanatic’s Essential Guide.
In this five-part series, we explore the fundamental aspects of cricket, and how these will shape the world cup. For the earlier two in this series, visit www.livemint.com/worldcup
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