Follow UsThere have been very few teams who have been as dominant in the World Cup as India have been in the 2023 edition. From batting to bowling to fielding, there has hardly been a lag from this Indian side, as they seem poised to have a cracker of a game against New Zealand at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Wednesday.
All said and done, one of the most cherishable things to have come out of the World Cup was the way everyone celebrated the fielding medal - a tradition that was started by Indian fielding coach T Dilip. A medal was distributed at the end of the match and everyone rejoiced, alongside crores of fans on social media. On being asked about the backstory of the same, Indian fielding coach T Dilip stated that the idea was to appreciate the contribution not often measured by statistics.
“I think, firstly, it’s truly heartening to see the response the fans gave in social media. But the whole idea about this medal, what it represents is that the intent and effort, what the spirit you give, get onto the field, which may not be seen on the stats, but it can be felt by everyone who are in the stadium,” Dilip said in the post-match press conference in Bengaluru.
“So, what we look at is - yes, the stats, runs, saves, and catches taken, are measured. But also, what value you give to the team is also counted. So, that is something, an encouraging factor we want to get into the test now,” Dilip said.
“The whole idea actually started and you are seeing the medal in the World Cup. But this idea we started 4 months back, where we started to declare the best fielder award in the dressing room in every game. Just at the medal and we are able to see the medal presentation all over in social media now in the World Cup.
“But the whole idea was to make sure that we not only encourage or talk about that brilliant catch, but also the consistent performance in a 50-over game, which is very important because 300 balls, how you carry that consistency, whether it is catching or effort or intensity is what we want to get that important going. So that was the main reason behind getting this medal,” Dilip explained.
Another encouraging aspect of India’s campaign was the way KL Rahul has gone about his wicket-keeping job. He was outstanding behind the wicket and grabbed catches with alacrity. Dilip praised the way he has adapted to the keeping style.
“I think it’s been truly amazing wicketkeeping he's been doing at this point. Of course, you rightly said when he came, he came from a long layoff and an injury. So that was something that would be really challenging factor; how would he keep up the wicketkeeping skills especially, but he came up really well.
“He's someone who's been doing wicketkeeping from a young age. So that is not a problem, but we identified a couple of factors and we worked on. And every wicketkeeper is different. He's someone who, if he trusts and we start having a discussion, and once he believes that, it's a matter of a couple of sessions and he adapts to it. So he is that kind of a wicketkeeper. And I'm quite happy with the way he is moving laterally. And also, for his height, you can see that the low catches which he is taking forward are outstanding.”