Mastering the Art of Fielding: Techniques to elevate your game

One of the most important but least emphasised skills in cricket is fielding. Young players tend to spend hours and hours practicing their primary skills, that is, batting and bowling, but spend barely minutes to improve their fielding. Interestingly, it’s totally contrary in matches. In real games, players have to field for hours but there is no certainty how long they will bat/ball. It could be a few minutes or hours, but fielding is something that every player has to do. Hence, with this third skill, one can get an additional advantage over their competitors. A good fielder knows how to drive the game and create pressure on the opponent team. Hence, the importance of fielding should never be undermined. 

Today, in this article by ZAP cricket, we will talk about different aspects that can help you to become a better fielder.

Cutting angles 

Cutting angles is very basic and we often hear Virat Kohli on how this helps him on the field. This phenomenon shall be taught by coaches to players and one can learn and adapt it with experience. 

To simplify what cutting angles actually mean, let’s take a situation. The batsman played a shot between deep wicket and mid-on. Now, a smart fielder will create such an angle that he’ll rush towards the ball and not adjacent to the boundary rope. In both cases his job is to stop a boundary. But in the first case, he might even get a chance to make a run out, since he’ll be grabbing the ball a few seconds earlier. But in the second case, he won’t be making any impact, since his only objective is to stop the ball. 

Accuracy in throws

The throws have to be quick, powerful and the fielder should take the least time to release the ball. By doing this, half chances can be converted into full runouts and then a fielder can potentially tip the scales in his/her favour. Those fielding in the inner circle can practice throws without getting up, this will save them the fraction of seconds needed to break a partnership. One thing to be kept in mind is that it’s always the minute smartness that makes a person superior to others. For example, Ravindra Jadeja takes x seconds to release the ball, and on the other hand, another player takes x+x seconds to do the same task. Now, clearly, it’s Jadeja, who has the potential to dominate the game.

Watching the face of the bat and keeping an eye on the ball till last moment 

A fielder can react better if he/she watches the face of the bat at the time of impact. This can save him a few seconds and increase his/her ground coverage. 

This is the basic fundamental of fielding and shall be implemented all the time, no matter in which area you are fielding. Also, as a fielder, a player’s job is to watch the ball till they receive the ball in their palms. This can help in avoiding unnecessary fumbles. Even if the ball is a few centimetres away and you don’t watch it till the last moment, there are chances of you misfielding. 

Base up and start towards the batsman 

Baseing up when the ball impacts with the bat can help in reacting better. Along with that, it’s also important to start in the direction of the batsman. 

Anticipation and commitment 

Anticipating that every ball will come in your direction is the key to becoming a tremendous fielder. Cricket is a mental game, and anticipation too, is one of the many mental aspects of the game. If a fielder is anticipating, he/she is in a better state to react. 

Fitness

Usually the fittest players are the best fielders. One of the many aspects of fielding is agility. Hence, the more agile a fielder is, the better he can react and cover the distance. For instance, Virat Kohli is considered to be the fittest player in the Indian Cricket Team. His fitness naturally makes him a better fielder. We have seen clips of him covering the distance in minimum time and taking those extraordinary sharp catches. All this is possible only because of his fitness levels. Hence, if any player is aiming to become a better fielder, they need to start devoting serious hours in training as well.

Practicing variety of drills

Practicing a variety of drills, like, catching in slip cordons or taking high catches with different angles etc can help. The more variety you add to your regime, the sharper your body movements will be. Hence, regularly practicing a variety of fielding drills can help. One can also include stations in their fielding sessions. Like, at one station they are taking flat catches, then at next station, they are taking backward catches etc. 

Understanding where do you field best

Understanding one’s own strengths and weaknesses can help a lot in becoming a better player. Hence, one should know where they are good at fielding. It’s not necessary that every player is comfortable fielding at every position. Hence, one needs to recognise their own potential. For example, left handed players are comfortable fielding at point, while other players might not feel the same. Hence, understanding your own strengths and shortcomings is also part of the process. 

All these points can help you enhance your game. So, you can consciously practice them on a regular basis and set yourself apart from the rest of the players!