It’s no secret that the current Indian side is one of the most athletic in the cricketing world. Also, it needless to say that the present bunch of players are also very fitness oriented.
Skipper Virat Kohli has openly expressed his opinions regarding having players who add a nutritive value to the side instead of just specializing in one aspect of the game.
Batsmen need to be better fielders; part-time bowler are expected to pick breakthrough, bowlers are required to chip in with extra runs while the all-rounders are obligated to contribute in all three departments.
The demands have increased, but the current unit is not intimidated by the challenge out in front of them.
An example of it of Ajinkya Rahane who was seen lightening up the fielding session a day before the opening ODI against Australia at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai.
As we all know, Rahane is primarily a top order batsman and a slip fielder. But, that doesn’t mean we can expect him to be sluggish in the outfield or inside the 30-yard circle. As mentioned earlier, the demand to be an all-around contributor to the team has changed the objective of each player.
The effect of the new approach and the result of the hard work put in by Rahane in honing his fielding skills were obvious today after he was filmed completing a variation of catching drill within a matter of few seconds.
Fielding coach R. Sridhar was delivering catching practice as usual, but Rahane was in an entirely buoyant mood. During of his turns, the vice-captain in the Test format collected the catch and returned the ball to Sridhar in just 4 seconds. It was an astounding effort which didn’t go unnoticed, thanks to a witness who filmed the entire thing which later BCCI posted on their Twitter platform.
Watch the video here
In just 4 seconds the ball leaves @coach_rsridhar's bat and reaches back to him as @ajinkyarahane88 is ⚡️quick. #TeamIndia #INDvAUS pic.twitter.com/D2pL2uejQm
— BCCI (@BCCI) September 16, 2017