Not just batting and bowling, India winning on the field too

On the field, there no one like Ravindra Jadeja. Virat Kohli also demands your attention. Every time they enter the ground, you can bank on these two to put on a show.

But there are quite a few names in this Indian team who don’t have the quite the same level of athleticism -- for example, Kuldeep Yadav and Shardul Thakur, and there were doubts whether Rohit Sharma will be able to match the show he put on in the last World Cup, and KL Rahul hasn't always been a keeper.

However, to the delight of their fans, the Indian players have impressed with their intensity on the field. Not the most agile group but they have displayed a safe pair of hands to be the best catching team in the tournament with a catch success per centage of 90.4 after the first four games of the tournament.

The match against Bangladesh, on Thursday, saw them put up another inspired effort in the field. Jadeja's catch stole the show but Rahul's performance behind the stumps was superb too.

There’s no denying how the effort in the field has made the bowling look even more incisive, especially in the middle overs. After an opening partnership of 110/2 in 20 overs, Bangladesh had the platform to rock the India bowling unit. In search of a breakthrough, captain Rohit Sharma went to his pacer Mohammed Siraj for the 25th over. Siraj's first ball was straying going down the leg side and Mehidy got a tickle but wicket-keeper Rahul flew to his left and snapped up a one-handed catch. At the start of the slog overs, experienced player Mushfiqur Rahim was well set batting on 38 when he cut a Jasprit Bumrah delivery but Jadeja flew to his right and took a blinder while almost parallel to the ground.

Not just the smart catching, the crowd at the Maharashtra Cricket Stadium in Pune, were treated to superb ground fielding as well. The Indian players are putting their bodies on the line while manning the boundary ropes. The super-fit brigade of Kohli, Jadeja, Shreyas Iyer, Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya and Siraj have been sharp but the likes of Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah and Kuldeep Yadav are giving nothing away either.

After the game, fielding coach T Dileep highlighted how the team had saved 13 runs in fielding.

Lauding his fielder’s effort, captain Rohit Sharma said: “The last three games we have played, our fielding has been superb. We continued that today. It is something that is in your control. You try and put in as much effort as you can."

It is the result of a lot of hard work, especially during the preparatory camp ahead of the Asai Cup. Shubman Gill provided insights into India’s mindset when it comes to their approach during the fielding sessions.

“We all spend a lot of time on our fielding, because as a batsman I don't know how many balls I will face in the match but I know for sure that I will be there for 50 overs and I will field for 50 overs,” said Gill.

“(It is the) same for bowlers, they know that they are going to bowl maybe 8, 9, 10 overs but they have to field for 50 overs. As a cricketer, I think it's a very important skill and we keep upping our fielding skills whenever we get the chance,” the opening batter, who also took two catches, added.

To reward the best fielding display, the Indian team management has come up with the idea of awarding a medal to the best fielder of the day. On Thursday, it was a difficult choice between KL Rahul’s and Jadeja’s catches. “Both the catches were fantastic in terms of where the game was at that point of time. I can't single one out because both were spectacular,” Gill said.

The award went to Jadeja, who is rated as one of the best in the world but hadn’t had the right catch coming his way to miss out on the fielding medal in the first three games. In fact, after taking the catch he immediately turned around and gestured to his fielding coach while celebrating. “That celebration was for our fielding coach. After every game, we get the best fielder award so I was telling him I am also here (for the award),” said Jadeja.

In a video shared by the BCCI.tv of the team’s post-match ceremony in the dressing room, fielding coach T Dilip said: “On the field today. one person was like a lion. Commanding on the field, outstanding effort with direct hit, savings and outstanding top catch .. Mr Jadeja.”

Dilip also lauded the overall effort. “We have played enough; we all know that a win isn’t built in runs or wickets (alone). I think it is also built on marvelous catches, tremendous savings and today was a great example of that. Just not the way we save, but also the numbers saved. Two game-changing catches by KL and Jadeja. We as a team saved 13 runs today. That was fantastic.”

The fielding coach also explained the importance of the medal. “Like we’ve been speaking about the medal a lot and I think it’s just not our medal. We made something which is beautiful but also it is testament of our skill, fitness and the will to put your bodies on the line," said Dilip while announcing Jadeja as the winner.

AWARD WINNERS

The tone for India’s impressive fielding performance in the tournament had been set by none other than Virat Kohli in the opening game against Australia with his superb diving catch at slip to dismiss Shaun Marsh for which he was awarded the first best fielder’s medal.

“I think one of the great things about Kohli you can always see is that his intensity level is always the same whether it’s a match or practice. It (catch) was a prime example where we tried to challenge both laterally and also height wise,” Dilip had said about Kohli’s spectacular display, on BCCI.tv while also calling Iyer’s fielding effort top-class. Iyer had taken two fine catches against Australia.

Shardul Thakur won the award in the game against Afghanistan for his catch to dismiss Afghanistan’s Rahmanullah Gurbaz while KL Rahul was the third winner of the medal for his glovework in the game against Pakistan.

"We have something going on in the group," said Rohit after the Bangladesh game. "Lifts everyone up. Guys who end up with the most medals, there is something special for them."