Medals before Olympics: KL Rahul, Kuldeep, Jadeja revive India's glory days in the field at World Cup 2023
Besides being the most complete team, India have also been the most electrifying fielding unit at the World Cup 2023.
Ravindra Jadeja is everywhere. He is taking snorters at point, running around like lightening and bowling 10 mighty effective overs. Even when India are a man down, let alone of the calibre of Hardik Pandya, and the sixth bowling option is appearing slightly concerning after Shardul Thakur's 16-run over, Jadeja's precise wicket-to-wicket line is creating chances for India. Just three overs in, he is rewarded as a ball fired in at over 92 kph pins Najmul Shanto stone dead in front of the stumps. He has to wait another 10 overs but it's worth it. The well-set Litton Das chips the ball at long on to give Jadeja his second wicket – a very crucial one.
The best is still to come though. Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah, Bangladesh's last recognised batting pair, are determined to make a final push to resurrect the innings – get the total around 300 if not more – but it's that man again, Jadeja, this time taking an outrageous catch at point to thwart those plans. Straight out of the Yuvraj Singh book of fielding. Jadeja wasn't part of India's Asian Games gold-medal squad on Hangzhou last month, and certainly won't be around till 2028's LA Olympics. He wants that medal now. Even Marais Erasmus is urging India's fielding coach to do it.
But wait, Jadeja isn't the only one. KL Rahul is flying to his right, gobbling a one-handed stunner to dismiss Mehidy Hasan. Goalkeeper like save… err dive. He is getting mobbed by his teammates. Virat Kohli and Mohamed Siraj cannot keep calm. The wicket may officially belong to Siraj but it was a keeper's dismissal. Five months ago in March, he was receiving endless trolling for his keeping skills against Australia at home, and prior to that, for dropping a catch that allowed Bangladesh to sneak in with a one-wicket-win over India in December. A year down the line, he is taking catches that will put regulars to shame. Kuldeep Yadav too is running around, diving and saving boundaries. Siraj isn't behind either. If there was ever a more fitting occasion to use the phrase 'livewire on the field,' it's now, starring Rohit Sharma's uber athletic and agile unit.
Not too long ago, during the Asia Cup match against Nepal, India dropped three catches in 20 balls – Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan the culprits. Their catch efficiency percentage of 75.1 was the second-lowest among all 10 participating teams – only Afghanistan were below them. In 45 days, India's fielding game has undergone a drastic transformation and how? Australia, the five-time champions, have dropped 7 catches so far this World Cup – six alone in one game – whereas Afghanistan gave New Zealand six lives as well. India meanwhile, have dropped only two catches - notwithstanding one of those 'they either stick or missed' chances, with reigning champions England being the only team to have dropped fewer, with just one. Kohli, Shubman Gill have taken three catches and Rahul five, outside of the fact that India have saved at least 15-20 runs in each game they've played in the World Cup.
T Dilip, the man responsible for the turnaround
Unless you're a hardcore cricket buff or a veteran journalist in the field, when India's new fielding coach was revealed, the name T Dilip wouldn't have rung a bell. It couldn't have. Like his predecessor R Sridhar, Dilip didn't play cricket at the highest level either but worked his way up the ranks to complete all the levels of coaching. He probably is the most soft-spoken person in the entire Indian unit – go through the BCCI videos where he is awarding the medals to either Kohli, Shardul Thakur or Rahul – words come out of Dilip's mouth very carefully. He may not be the most eloquent people around the words coming out of his mouth are equally articulate. Sridhar still would address the one-off press conference, whereas Dilip, in his official capacity, has probably only held one in the two years since his appointment. His LinkedIn profile resembles one of the good guys who has all the degrees, qualifications and yet needs to convince the employee to recognise and harness his skills.
But boy, what an impact he has made, starting with the technical tweaks implemented in Rahul's keeping. Fresh off his return from a long injury layoff last month, there were concerns whether Rahul will be able to keep wicket for 50 overs. Not only is he doing it with absolutely no physical discomfort, he is pulling off stumpings, affecting run outs and even assisting the bowler and captain in DRS calls. He has, in all probability, outperformed his namesake and India coach Rahul Dravid when it comes to filling in as a wicketkeeper. In fact, Rahul has been so impeccable with his glovework that it wouldn't be inaccurate to label him a genuine, full-fledged wicketkeeper.
Three of the five catches he's taken have required different movement. The dismissal of Marnus Labuschagne saw Rahul collect an edge off a ball that jumped of the surface, while against Ibrahim Zadran and Jasprit Bumrah, he was wrong-footed but successfully dived low to his right and got underneath the ball. The Mehidy catch was icing on the cake. Despite Jadeja's electric one-handed blinder, Rahul may still pip him for that medal simply because he wouldn't have anticipated it quite like his teammate, who also happens to be the world's best fielder.
That is not even the tip of the iceberg. If Sridhar's biggest achievement was to make Mohammed Shami an agile fielder, Kuldeep is Dilip's Everest. A few pounds lighter, he still isn't the briskest mover in the outfield, but some of Kuldeep's efforts make you wonder whether he's the same fielder who struggled to bend down in time. The catch to dismiss Rashid Khan, where he tumbled but still managed to hold on to it, was a thing of beauty. Additionally, his quick movement yesterday to prevent a certain boundary at fine leg immediately after completing an over, is a testament to the effort Dilip has put in behind the scenes.
India's tally of 19 catches in the tournament has been complemented by a total of 18 runs saved, 22 instances of pressure-building plays, and four accurate throws. As per a data prepared by the ICC, with 22.30 points, India have had the biggest fielding impact at World Cup 2023. Be it in air or the ground, nothing has slipped past the Indians.
