VADODARA: Last Sunday, during India’s practice at the Reliance Cricket Ground before the first ODI, fielding coach Biju George was giving high catches near the boundary to Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Poonam Yadav and Deepti Sharma.
Gayakwad and Yadav missed way too many, which drew these words from George: “Aap ball pe nazar rakhiye. Usko chodna mat (Watch the ball carefully. Don’t drop it).”
Fast forward six days. India have now dropped four crucial catches in two matches; a reason that has cost them an ODI series against Australia. On the eve of third and final clash against Australia, Smriti Mandhana spoke about how India haven’t dished out their brand of cricket in the previous two games, including fielding. Though the visitors too muffed five catches, they were quick on their feet to reel the game back in.
George attributed lack of fitness among women cricketers to this fielding fiasco. “In the last World Cup, we were the best. We took the most catches (26). Now it’s the opposite. Fielding depends on strength, speed, and agility. If you look at the world standard for those attributes, our girls are a little behind. Once this gap is addressed, there won’t be such fluctuations.”
In the first ODI, Gayakwad dropped a sitter offered by Nicole Bolton. She went to score an unbeaten ton and won the match for Australia. The second match was worse, with three catches being fluffed. Bolton was dropped by Mithali Raj and Pooja Vastrakar. Ekta Bisht gave Ellyse Perry a life. Another half-chance from Bolton went through Mandhana’s fingertips. The result? Bolton notched up 84, Perry scored 70, and the visitors clinched the series.
After the World Cup, Afzal Khan — who had previously worked with Mumbai Indians as a strength and conditioning trainer — was roped in. The players’ diet was tailored with the help of DNA testing. The team also took a Yo Yo test before this series, and their running average rose to 17 (16 was the standard).
“We even appointed a nutritionist a month ago. There will definitely be progress, but I am not satisfied with what they have done till now,” observed George. “Internationally, 1.15 catches are dropped every match. I would like 0.7-0.8 for us. It’s not like we don’t dedicate time for fielding. Even today, we spent two-and-a-half hours on it.”
Travelling with the team since last November, George emphasised the need for power-hitters. “Barring our top-five, the rest of our batswomen lack power. But in the Australian side, even their No 7 can whack the ball for a six. We have to become stronger and fitter.”
Aussies go statistical
Aussie women’s team have also been employing numerics for nearly three years. Their ‘fielding impact rating’ system records missed catches, run-outs, stumpings, and attributes a fielding average and a strike-rate to players. The system also tracks domestic cricket.
srinidhi@newindianexpress.com