Jonty Rhodes, the South African known for his exceptional fielding skills, recently conducted a fielding camp for aspiring young cricketers in Pune. The camp organised by former player Parag More at the JusCricket Academy echoed with enthusiasm, as the kids eagerly absorbed what Rhodes spoke about, on learning the arts of agility and precision on the field.
Rhodes shared invaluable tips and techniques, instilling a passion for excellence among the budding players. The camp not only honed their cricketing abilities but also left a lasting impact. In an exclusive chat with RevSportz, Rhodes was candid. The following are the excerpts:
Q: First of all, what would you like to say about the wonderful camp organised by Parag?
Rhodes: Well, it’s been 24 hours. It’s our second session. We had a very brief session under lights last night. I flew from Chennai and it’s been fantastic. Cricket has always been something that I’m passionate about. The growth of cricket in India is phenomenal, but it doesn’t just happen. It requires commitment. And the commitment comes from the parents, the children, and most importantly, from the academy owners and the facilitators. Cricket is a team game and it’s not just on the field that the team is important.
And cricket in India is going to be very sporadic and all over the place. So it’s great to see in an area like this in Pune. We’ve gone to two different facilities and it’s fantastic that in such a built-up area you have these green areas where kids can practise and play cricket. It’s not just about playing cricket. It’s about the movement too. If children have the option of being indoors and watching a screen, there’s no excuse. Parag and his team are making sure they get out and they move.
Q: Tell us about the run out of Inzamam-ul-Haq in the 1992 World Cup. Do you think that was the changing moment of your career?
Rhodes: It certainly launched my career. I’m always grateful to Inzi for turning and not being the best runner. In fact, the reason I had to dive was he got back sooner than I had anticipated. So he was still moving quite well as a 19-year-old boy. But the interesting thing is that was 1992. So people were talking about fielding because at that World Cup, there was suddenly an awareness.
But it was only once the IPL started, that teams started employing fielding coaches, that people realized that yes, it can actually win you games in the limited-over versions. In IPL, the Indian players couldn’t get left out because there were seven Indians and four overseas. You had to have your Indian players fielding. So the emphasis changed from, I think, the 2008 IPL. So while I dived onto the scene in 1992, it took a long time for there to be an acceptance.
Q: Since the time you played cricket and after you retired, who are the top three fielders that come to your mind?
Rhodes: It’s difficult to sort of include or exclude. Herschelle Gibbs, I had the fortune of playing alongside. Myself at back of the point, Herschelle at the covers, there weren’t too many easy singles around for the opposition. He was a brilliant mover, good rugby player, so good ball skills. Herschelle was phenomenal.
Ricky Ponting as a fielder was just fantastic. I think the first all-round fielder was the late Andrew Symonds, because he was a big guy. He would field under the helmet at silly point. He would field in the circle and he would dive around. And then obviously from the boundary, he had real power, good safe hands. So he was the first complete cricketer.
Then you had guys like Martin Guptill and Ravindra Jadeja. I was always a massive fan of Suresh Raina. He spent more time in the circle, but he would just dive for everything. Not many kids get the opportunity to practise cricket with lush grass on the outfield. So Raina for me was one. I’ve always enjoyed Raina’s fielding.
Q: A little bit on the fielding of Jadeja and Virat Kohli…
Rhodes: I think Kohli is a great athlete. He’s a keen footballer. Every time you see him in the picture, he’s always got his football shoes on and he’s got his football at the Indian team’s practice. He’s a player who moves really well. And Jadeja’s speed is incredible. He makes difficult chances look easy because he’s got into a good position. Whereas for players who weren’t as quick as him, they would have to be diving full length for the ball. Jadeja has incredible speed. He has amazing accuracy. He is a player that can turn a game in the field as a fielder.
Q: You’ve played against India a lot of times. What difference do you see between the current crop and the previous ones?
Rhodes: In my generation, there were two or three batters who were comfortable out of India. Now, given the exposure they’re getting against pace, during the IPL, I think their batting depth is really, really strong. And the pace bowling. If India came to South Africa, we would prepare a green wicket because India were relying maybe on one seamer, maximum two. Now, if you prepare a green and sporty surface for Test cricket, India have the pace bowling to knock you over.
And they have the batting to be able to kind of get past you. So I think as an all-round team, we certainly saw under MS Dhoni that he made a massive difference with his power game. Between the wickets, he was phenomenal. Behind the stumps, he never made a mistake because of his fitness levels. And Kohli took that to the next level. Players got left out because they couldn’t pass a fitness test. India now tick all the boxes. Earlier, you could say we were 10 or 15 runs better in the field. Now that’s no longer.