Former Indian fielding coach R Sridhar has shared his thoughts on Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, the 2 mainstays of India’s batting order in all formats. Virat and Rohit, 2 of the best batsmen in the business, have amassed a multitude of runs throughout their illustrious careers, and their figures say volumes about their brilliance. Apart from being batting legends, Rohit and Kohli are both excellent fielders who just don’t mind giving their everything on the field.
Sridhar is aware of the duo’s fielding abilities because he has teamed up with them in the dressing room. According to the 51-year-old, Virat Kohli’s passion when fielding between the short cover and short mid-wicket still generates panic in hitters. Sridhar further stated that Kohli was focusing on improving his attention and concentration in order to be one of the finest in the role for India.
Virat, Rohit are two very different kind of athletes: R Sridhar
“They (Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma) are, indeed [India’s best slip fielders]. But let me say they are two very different kind of athletes. Virat is extremely fit and agile and was always a very good outfielder. Initially, we used his energy in front of the batsman’s eyes, say like in short cover or short mid-wicket because with his intensity he could literally intimidate the batters,” told Sridhar.
“But over time, and this was also because he was a certainty in the team, we wanted him to stand in the slips… He can come down really quick and has done a lot of work on his concentration and focus. Now you can see him go for the half-chances and pluck them more often than not,” he added.
Unlike Virat Kohli, R Sridhar believes Rohit Sharma has always been a ‘natural’ slip fielder. The expert further said that Rohit has earned the nickname ‘sticky fingers’ for his ability to consistently grab balls.
“Rohit, on the other hand, is a natural (slip fielder). We call him sticky fingers in the dressing room. At the same time, he works very hard on his slip catching and takes around 60 to 80 catches during each session to improve his slip catching,” he asserted.
