"India have the best fielding team," says former India fielding coach R Sridhar | Exclusive

R Sridhar was India’s fielding coach from 2014 to 2021.

Former India fielding coach R Sridhar picked Rohit Sharma and Rinku Singh as two of the best fielders in the current Indian setup. The 54-year-old further hailed youngsters Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill as the key men in India’s slip cordon in the future.

R Sridhar had a long tenure as India’s fielding coach under head coach Ravi Shastri. Sridhar first joined the Indian coaching staff in 2014. His tenure ended in late 2021 when Shastri’s coaching period ended and Rahul Dravid brought his own support staff.

He was part of the coaching staff during India’s famous twin test series victories in Australia in 2018/19 and 2020/21, along with test match wins in South Africa and England. Under R Sridhar, India’s fielding standards rose, marshaled by Virat Kohli, who brought in great energy among the players on the field.

R Sridhar joined KhelNow in an exclusive chat organized by Sony Sports Network, the official broadcasters of India’s tour of Sri Lanka 2024 in India.

He talked about various aspects of Indian cricket, including current fielding coach T Dilip, and new head coach Gautam Gambhir; he gave his reaction to Suryakumar Yadav’s catch of David Miller in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 final. R Sridhar also gave his opinion on whether Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli would be able to feature in the 2027 ODI World Cup, among other topics.

Watch the full interview here:

Here are the excerpts from the conversation with R Sridhar:

Q1: We have seen switches in the Indian coaching staff. From Rahul Dravid’s support staff, only fielding coach T Dilip has been retained. How do you rate T Dilip’s performance so far?

R Sridhar: He (T Dilip) has done exceptionally well. He has worked really hard in the last two and a half years. It reflected in our team’s fielding in both ICC tournaments – the ODI World Cup and the recent T20 World Cup in West Indies, where we were exceptional on the field. Players were in good space. They were prepared and trained well. They were very competitive.

So, the credit has to be given to the fielding coach for creating that kind of environment and practice. Dilip has done well and deservingly he’s been carried forward in the next tenure.

Q2: T Dilip has introduced the fielding medal, which has become very popular. How do you feel about that?

R Sridhar: The fielding medal has brought in a sense of competition among the players. They want to win it and don’t know who is going to be handing the medal. So that has made it engaging for the fans as well. The medal has brought in better standards, which is what you want to achieve as a team on the field.

Q3: You have worked with most of the youngsters in the team. In the current squad, who do you think is the best fielder?

R Sridhar: It is the sum of the parts, I would say. Rather than having the best fielder in the team, I would like to have the best fielding team. Yes, one individual brilliance can change the momentum in the shorter formats and inspire the rest of the teammates.

We have seen Suryakumar Yadav do that time and again; he’s one of the safest fielders. Then, you have Yashasvi [Jaiswal] who is a good fielder, Shubman [Gill] is more than a good fielder, Rinku [Singh] is outstanding and then Rishabh Pant behind the wickets.

But to pick one or two, I would say that captain [Rohit Sharma] himself is an excellent fielder, and Rinku Singh – when he gets to field, he is someone the team would be really looking forward to seeing.

Q4: What was your reaction when Suryakumar took that catch in the final?

R Sridhar: I was filled with joy and delight. When that happened I was not in the country – I was away – but I was following the match. There is no better moment than Suryakumar picking the catch and converting a possible win into a win. Because the Indian cricket fans and the team deserved the World Cup. We were the best team.

Q5: Gautam Gambhir has taken over as the head coach. Do you have any messages for him?

R Sridhar: I would like to send my good wishes to Gautam. Very briefly, he was part of the Indian team in 2016-17 when I was part of the coaching staff. So I have some very fond memories of the interactions we had during the India-England series when he came.

He is an astute leader and a great mentor, as he’s shown in the IPL. He is someone you can go to when you are in a problem; he will listen to you. He has got the stature and credibility. I think he is a terrific fit for the job.

The only thing we as fans and stakeholders don’t need to do is rush to judge him with the results as results don’t define a coach. It is his culture, vision and philosophy which defines a coach. I am sure Gambhir would do a great job.

Q6: Coming to India’s tour of Sri Lanka, what are your predictions for both T20I and ODI series?

R Sridhar: 3-0 and 3-0 in India’s favour.

Q7: Gill has been named as the white-ball vice-captain, but there is a lot of chaos among the fans. Some feel he should not have got that role. How do you feel about this? Do you see Gill as the captain of the Indian cricket team in the future?

R Sridhar: Look, it doesn’t matter if I see him as a future captain or not. But the people who make the decisions, they see him as a future captain of the Indian cricket team, and I back it. I have the same opinion as well. He is our all-format player. So he is someone we can look at as captain post Rohit’s retirement from the game. He is being groomed as a captain. He has one year experience of IPL captaincy and recently captained India in Zimbabwe.

Q8: Gambhir backs Rohit and Kohli to play in the ODI World Cup 2027 if they remain fit. Do you see the duo playing in the next ODI World Cup?

R Sridhar: I do see them playing in the next ODI World Cup in South Africa unless something really unfortunate happens. If everything goes well, I hope they play because they bring in so much experience and value. I wish they are fit and in good shape. But it is a long way away and it’s too early to speculate. So we will enjoy every match they play; enjoy while they are there.

Q9: Recently, we have seen that India have scored very few direct hit run-outs compared to Australia, New Zealand and England. How do you think India can improve on this?

R Sridhar: Yes, we would like to have a few more direct hits as it can change the course of the match. But direct hits are not easy. Most of the time, the angles, and the position of the fielder are challenging. If you are hitting one in four, it’s a brilliant conversion rate. But it’s good that there is always a scope for improvement in any area.

Q10: Slip catching has always been a challenging part for Indian fielders in the SENA countries. Among the next generation, who do you think has a better potential to develop as a good slip fielder?

R Sridhar: I think Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill have shown the kind of potential they possess to be good slip fielders. Rohit is obviously brilliant in the slips; he’s got great hands and technique. We have a very good future in slip-catching with Gill and Jaiswal.

I would also like to mention that India’s slip-catching percentage in SENA countries has improved drastically. It’s close to 80-80 percent now. In ICC tournaments, India always ups their game.

Q11: What will happen when Virat and Gambhir will meet in the Indian dressing room for the first time?

R Sridhar: It will be normal. They are mature gentlemen and they know each other very well. They will ensure that India is in the best place. It’s going to be good for the sake of the team.

The India’s tour of Sri Lanka, consisting of three T20Is and three ODIs will be played from 27th July to 7th August. The entire tour can be watched live on Sony Sports Ten 5 & Sony Sports Ten 1 in English, Sony Sports Ten 3 in Hindi and Sony Sports Ten 4 channels in Tamil & Telugu.

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