Ajinkya Rahane, R Sridhar, Indian National Cricket Team
R Sridhar. Credit: Getty Images

India’s fielding coach, Ramakrishnan Sridhar, commonly known as R Sridhar, acknowledges the fact that Team India dropped some catches on the tour to Australia, but also points out that they grasped a lot more than they dropped.

On the entire tour Down Under comprising of 3 ODIs, 3 T20Is, and 4 Test matches, the visitors dropped more than a couple of dozen catches, half-chances included. However, Sridhar lauds the players for taking some superb catches and inflicting run-outs often in the Test series.

Led by Virat Kohli’s superb diving catch in Adelaide, other fielders as well improved their standards in the field later in the Test series.

Rishabh Pant.
Rishabh Pant drops Will Pucovski. (Photo: Twitter)

As a fielding coach… yes we dropped catches, but we also took some brilliant catches didn’t we? Virat caught Cameron Green in Adelaide, Wriddhiman Saha’s brilliant run out of Matthew Wade in Adelaide. In Melbourne, Pujara had Steve Smith caught at backward short leg. Ajinkya at slip… Jadeja’s catch initially to get Wade and his contribution on the field,” R Sridhar told Cricketnext.

“So many good catches… and then you go to Sydney, Jadeja got a run-out, Ajinkya caught Labuschagne, Saha got a good one down the leg side. When you come to Brisbane, Pant himself picked two very good catches. One down the leg off Wade, and one of a bouncer. Rohit Sharma took a record by taking five catches in an innings. Sticky fingers Rohit Sharma!

They Say Players Dropped Catches, Sack Fielding Coach: R Sridhar

R Sridhar, who played domestic cricket for Hyderabad, opines that the process was right and the catches which were taken are under shadowed by the dropped ones. The 50-year-old also defends himself as there were calls for him getting sacked after the Indian fielders continued to drop catches.

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Sridhar asserts that the players were coming off months of playing white-ball cricket – IPL and then 6 limited-overs matches against Australia – and therefore it was not easy to shift straight to red-ball cricket. He says the fielding coach can’t coach a player on the field when he drops a catch.

R Sridhar
R Sridhar (Credits: Twitter)

“What I’m saying is, unfortunately, yes, there were a couple of drop catches, but why is all the good work getting overshadowed? Yes, we did drop catches at crucial times. There is no excuse for it. But the right processes are going on,” Sridhar felt.

“Nobody understands the nuances. All they say is – the player dropped the catch, sack the fielding coach. What can I do? I can’t coach him at that moment. It’s a very intrinsic thing, the approach to the red and white ball. In red ball, your concentration has to go on and on and on,” R Sridhar added.

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