Mohammad Azharuddin In Late 90s Was A Stand-Out In Fielding Because Of His Athleticism: R Sridhar

Former Team India fielding coach R Sridhar hailed former Indian skipper Mohammad Azharuddin for his brilliant fielding during his playing days.

Indian cricket team has been blessed with some great fielders across different eras and many of them have set the benchmarks in the area of fielding.

Mohammad Azharuddin of 1985 to 1990 would have been a brilliant fielder even now: R Sridhar

Ravindra Jadeja is recognised as one of the sharpest fielders in the current Indian team and Sridhar ranked Azharuddin, who has 261 catches to his name in international cricket, in the similar ranks of the Saurashtra all-rounder.

“It is difficult to judge across different eras and fielding judged by different standards. In the ’80s when Ajju bhai (Azharuddin’s nickname in Indian cricket) made his debut, there was no fitness culture in Indian cricket.

“It kicked in only in the late 90s and Ajju bhai was a stand-out because of his athleticism and because he had great hands, good throws. Probably the bench-mark was different,” Sridhar told news agency PTI.

“Jadeja is someone who is pleasing to the eye even when he is chasing a ball to the boundary. He is cut above rest in world cricket. So was Azhar during his time. Azhar of 1985 to 1990 would have been a brilliant fielder even now, whether slips, close-in or being lightning in the outfield,” he added.

Rohit Sharma is an outstanding slip fielder: R Sridhar

Fielding in the slips is something that requires a lot of patience and concentration, especially in Test cricket. R Sridhar named a few Indian players who are better in the slip region but named Rohit Sharma as an outstanding fielder.

“With practice, comes confidence and also knowledge of that position which brings in consistency. Obviously, being a certainty helps (smiles). When you are a certainty in the team, it helps you become a better slip fielder,” Sridhar said.

“That’s why we had Pujara, then Virat, then Rohit, who is an outstanding slip fielder. The right person standing at the right place brings consistency. That’s part of planning and preparation,” he added.

Azharuddin is ranked third in the list of most catches by an Indian player after Virar Kohli (272) and Rahul Dravid (333).

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