Our fielding drills are designed keeping match situations in mind, reveals Dishant Yagnik

A franchise whose philosophy revolves around the mix of youth and experience, Rajasthan Royals have made some rapid strides over the years but remained on the wrong side of the result. Be it Jos Buttler or Sanju Samson, be it Jofra Archer or Steve Smith, or the likes of Ben Stokes and Ajinkya Rahane, the franchise is home to some of the biggest stars of the generation and continues to hire the services of many talented youngsters. 

“As far as fielding is concerned, Indian players are as good as any foreign players,” Yagnik told SportsCafe. “And if you are playing in the IPL, you already have your work ethics. I design different fielding drills for different individuals. For example with Ben Stokes, I design drills for his fielding at point in the 30-yard circle and then for the death overs. With Shreyas Gopal, since he has to think about his next over, I design him a fielding drill in which he will be standing at deep square leg or fine leg and will accordingly be given practice. Barring small differences, all have similar fielding levels.”

While the art of keeping is completely opposite of anticipation as a keeper, Yagnik is fortunate in one count that keeps him ahead of the curve - muscle memory. Given the fact that the basics of anticipation are always constant, Yagnik decided to prepare ground-specific planning with the help of analysts beforehand. His effective method has made him one of the most loved characters in the side, with players like Ben Stokes speaking highly of his process.

“Another important factor that I consider in my drills is the angle with which the ball goes to the fielder. When we travel to the venues, I try to hit the areas from which spotting the ball can be difficult. This helps the fielders to get practise and help their muscle memory remember the kind of angles from which the ball can travel to them. A player like Ben Stokes has also said in an interview that he has sat with me and helped me design fielding drills and I have taken vital information from him about how the fielding drills happen in England as they play more day games and thus flat catches are difficult. Thus in this way many bunches of players like my fielding drills,” the 36-year-old explained.

The thirteenth edition of the Indian Premier League currently stands postponed but reports suggested that the BCCI is looking for an early winter window to host the tournament provided the T20 World Cup is cancelled. If that does go ahead, it is easy to say that the Royals will be better placed to tackle the scenario as compared to their counterparts, thanks to their fielding coach.