Virat Kohli ‘OK’ but Suresh Raina is the Best Fielder in India – Jonty Rhodes
Jan 9, 2019 at 4:06 PM
Former South Africa batsman Jonty Rhodes has said Suresh Raina is the best fielder in India.
Arguably the greatest fielder of all time, Rhodes averaged more than 35 in ODIs and Tests but the former Proteas international made a name for himself with his electric fielding.
Ever since his retirement, he has been heavily involved in Indian cricket, plying his trade as the fielding coach of Mumbai Indians and so there is absolutely no doubt that he knows a thing or two about the Indian players.
The 48-year-old, who represented South Africa in over 300 international games, has said that current India captain Virat Kohli is a fine fielder but Suresh Raina tops the list of being the best fielder in the country. He went on to say that the left-handed batsman reminds him of his younger days.
“Yuvraj Singh and Mohammed Kaif were some of the better fielders around. Virat Kohli, he is ok. But Suresh Raina for me is the best fielder in India. He goes for the ball, regardless of whether he thinks he can get it or not. He reminds me a lot of a much younger Jonty Rhodes,” he said.
Meanwhile, Raina is currently out of the Indian team. He last played in the T20 series against England in January and still waiting for a recall. He had a good outing in the Indian Premier League and made it to the standby list for the Champions Trophy, but is yet to get a call from the national team.
Rhodes further said the advent of T20 cricket has put the traditional formats of the game in a dangerous position.
“In my opinion, it is not Test cricket, but 50-overs cricket that is in trouble. T20 has changed the way the game is played now and Test cricket has become more exciting. T20 has brought a change in the manner cricket is played these days. In Test cricket, they play with a lot of freedom now, there is no fear of failure,” he said.
“When I was playing in the last century, batsmen used to struggle in the 90s. The nervous nineties they called it. There were several batsmen who got out in the 90s. Now, that is not the case. Some times, batsmen reach 100 from 94 with a single shot, a six. The players are very confident these days. I don’t think Test cricket is in trouble. In reality, 50-over cricket is in trouble,” he added.
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