'Right now, there is only one'- Jonty Rhodes on Ravindra Jadeja as world's best fielder

Former South African cricketer Jonty Rhodes, who is regarded as one of the finest fielders ever, thinks that at the moment there is no match for Ravindra Jadeja when it comes to fielding. Rhodes, who is the fielding coach of Lucknow Super Giants, told The Times of India that there was only one top-quality fielder in the game today and that’s Ravindra Jadeja.

“Right now, there is only one - Ravindra Jadeja,” he said.

Jadeja, who led the Chennai Super Kings last season before stepping down mid-way following a disappointing show, will have a lot to prove this year.

The South African believes that IPL has had a foundational role to play in raising the standard of fielding in cricket.

“It is T20 cricket specifically, not just limited overs. Only when IPL began, people really started focusing on fielding. Not every team had fielding coaches. There was enough time in 50-over matches. You had 3-4 good fielders and 6-7 guys didn’t do great. But once IPL started, we saw growth in fielding. Since 2008, around 12-13 years have been amazing. Earlier, people spoke about fielding but there were only 3-4 good individuals. But now, as a team, we have seen the growth of fielding go through the roof.

“It is not difficult to focus on fielding because it is a discipline. We have fielding coaches and their job is to make the work done. Just like batting and bowling, it is a part of daily practice. As a fielding coach, I am not requesting players, I am getting them into fielding rules. Fielding now is an important part of cricket,” he said.

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