Jonty Rhodes backs Lucknow Super Giants skipper KL Rahul to shine in IPL 2023

The India batter led 2022 IPL debutants Lucknow Super Giants into the playoffs but has faced scrutiny over his poor run of scores for India coming into the T20 league starting on Friday

“When Jonty moves, batsman halts.” This was the catchphrase after the Proteas star caught Sachin Tendulkar at point while almost flying in 1997. Remind him of that and it brings a smile to the face of Rhodes, regarded as one of the all-time great fielders. He then plays it down, saying “That’s a long time ago.”

Lucknow Super Giants fielding coach Jonty Rhodes during a training session at the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow.(HT Photo)

Ask about fielding and the South Africa star of the 1990s opens up on how big a difference it makes between winning or losing.

“We have seen its evolution since T20 cricket started. The importance of fielding has grown manifold, especially while defending boundaries and taking crucial catches. There were times when a team used to have only two-three good fielders, but now every team has 10 good fielders as this is its basic need,” said Rhodes, fielding coach of IPL team Lucknow Super Giants, on Monday.

“For me, fielding is the third most important component in a game, after batting and bowling, and it becomes more important in Test cricket. Suppose you drop Virat Kohli at slip in a Test, for sure he is going to keep batting over the next two days.”

Rhodes, 53, praised former India skippers MS Dhoni and Kohli for turning India into a great fielding side. “For a long time, India had some great fielders like Mohammad Azharuddin and Yuvraj Singh, but the rest of the team really struggled as they were not seen as a side who were very athletic and agile.

“MS showed what strength, power and speed can do to your advantage. After him, Kohli took it to the next level as he insisted that every player needed to pass a certain fitness test (yo-yo) before getting selected. As a result, India became the fittest team in the world, not only in their conditions but in away conditions when one doesn’t feel comfortable. Every run saved helps his side make use of it. In fact we have seen that even if you convert a half chance into a catch, it makes a big difference.”

Lucknow Super Giants made it to the playoffs on debut last year and Rhodes sees a strong pool of young, exciting and experienced players do well again. “I am very excited about LSG’s new season. It is an important opportunity for everyone to do much better. They need to learn from what they did last season. Certainly, there is pressure on everyone to perform much better this time.

“The players, including KL Rahul (skipper), Avesh Khan, Ayush Badoni, etc., had a wonderful time with their performances. They have already spent a year with a fine coach Andy Flower, who has a very positive relationship with Rahul; it helps a team get good results.”

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Rhodes said LSG would miss injured pacer Mohsin Khan and their SA opener Quinton de Kock in early matches. De Kock is on South Africa duty and will miss the first two IPL games. “We aren’t focusing on the entire season right now. We (are) playing our first game on Saturday and taking it one game at a time.”

Rhodes defended KL Rahul, who has struggled due to his form slump. “He is a wonderful batter and a great captain who loves to lead from the front. We have no doubts about his ability as he had a wonderful season last year. One-day cricket is something different and Rahul has grown in his captaincy. His calmness at the ground is great, it is very important in T20 cricket.”

Jonty’s 5-point fielding mantra

– You must expect every ball to come to you.

– You have to be ready before a ball is hit so one needs to have strong anticipation and we call it split jumping.

– It's not just watching the bat; you need to read the body language of the batter as it may be a defensive shot or an attacking one.

– If you don’t go for the ball, you never know if you can catch it or reach it.

– You have to enjoy your fielding.