IND vs BAN: Jonty Rhodes reveals why he was not selected as India's fielding coach despite Gambhir push

Legendary South African cricketer Jonty Rhodes has opened up on the disappointment of missing out on the role of India's fielding coach.

Ahead of India's Test series against Bangladesh, Rhodes revealed that the selection panel was looking for a local coach for the role.

After India's T20 World Cup 2024 win, the tenure of Rahul Dravid and his coaching staff also came to an end.

Gautam Gambhir was chosen as India's new fielding coach. Gambhir suggested the name of Rhodes for the role of India's fielding coach.

But the selection panel wanted a local Indian coach for the role and in the end, T Dilip, who was the fielding coach during Rahul Dravid's tenure as well, was re-appointed for this role. Dilip became the only person to continue the services from Rahul Dravid's era.

Also read: IND vs BAN: Morne Morkel issues first reaction after joining India's camp as the bowling coach

Jonty Rhodes reveals why he missed out on the role of India's fielding coach

During a podcast on the YouTube channel 'Aleena Dissects', Jonty Rhodes finally broke his silence on missing out on the role of India's fielding coach.

He claimed that the panel wanted a local coach for the role despite head coach Gautam Gambhir's preference for him.

“Yeah! Can you believe it? I mean, they didn't want an international coach, and I'm so local. I mean, mera naam Jonty Rhodes! (I'm Jonty Rhodes) Come on. I'm based in Goa. Maybe because I'm based in Goa. Maybe I need to be in a metro (city),” Rhodes revealed.

Rhodes currently resides in Goa. Since his retirement, his association with India has strengthened. He is currently serving as the fielding coach of Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL.

Jonty Rhodes lauds MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli

Meanwhile, Rhodes reserved all praises for R Sridhar and T Dilip for doing a tremendous amount of work with the Indian team as the fielding coach.

Sridhar and Dilip are the last two fielding coaches of Team India. The legendary fielder also mentioned that MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli played key roles in India's improvement as a fielding side.

“I've taken my hats off to the last two Indian fielding coaches. And it comes from captaincy. Under (MS)Dhoni, he had a lot of senior guys, and he just showed his physical ability, he still does at the end of his IPL career. Running between the wickets, amazing, and he's 40. It's incredible. He certainly showed, just through his example, the importance of fitness and strength,” Rhodes stated.

“Then Virat Kohli took over, and it was a part of the selection criteria. If you don't pass the fitness standards, it doesn't matter how good you are. Everybody was treated equally, and it took India to become a good fielding team,” the former South African cricketer added.

This is not the first time that Rhodes has applied for the role of India's fielding coach.

He had also applied for the role before but the BCCI's selection panel did not want an international coach back then as well.

India will play its first Test series in Gautam Gambhir's tenure against Bangladesh. The two-match Test series will begin on September 19 in Chennai.