IND vs AUS | Fielders really came back strong after Adelaide show, reckons R Sridhar

01/24/2021

While catches dropped were plenty in Adelaide, R Sridhar has reckoned that the fielders really came back strong after the poor start in the first Test. He also insisted that the management will have to balance the workload, monitor injuries, and practice sessions to keep the players in proper shape.

It was a series that was headed towards all wrong possible things for India - their batting failed, they dropped the simplest of catches, and were under immense pressure to make a return in the series post the Adelaide show. That is exactly where the work really began for the management, who put ample effort into rectifying the mistakes from Adelaide.

India’s fielding coach R Sridhar reckoned that the fielders came back really strong after the disappointing display in the first Test. He also pointed out there is room for improvement but pointed out how the good efforts went relatively unnoticed. Sridhar stated that belief in the process was a vital step to making amends for the missed chances.

“People tend to look at the misses but not the brilliant work done. There is definitely room for improvement. We have to believe in the process we are putting in and try to infuse fresh energy and do things which keep the boys in good shape,” Sridhar told TOI on Saturday.

Another issue that popped up heavily during the series was the rate of injuries. It seemingly looked like India would lack 11 fit players if the Test series extended beyond the four-matches. That is something Sridhar has pointed out that the management will have to keenly focus in the future.

“We also have to balance the workload, monitor injuries and practice sessions. It is a very tight rope walk. We made a distinct effort to focus on fielding after Adelaide and we did pretty well. Credit to the boys who did catch pretty well. We did drop a couple but it looks a lot easier on television,” Sridhar said.

Sridhar also pointed out the numerous good takes that the visitors converted, with several good attempts in the Test series. He also insisted that there were several enthralling moments from the fielders but often one just notices the miss and makes it glaringly obvious.

“In the Adelaide Test, Virat Kohli took a brilliant catch diving to his right to get rid of Cameron Green. In Sydney we saw (Cheteshwar) Pujara catch Smith at backward short-leg off (Ravichandran) Ashwin, which was extremely sharp. Then we saw Jaddu’s (Ravindra Jadeja) fantastic run-out of (Steve) Smith in Sydney. And Rohit (Sharma) took five catches in Brisbane, a record for an Indian fielder in Australia.”

“These we can recall with so much joy but we tend to look at only the misses most,” Sridhar rued.