India fielding coach praises Suryakumar Yadav’s ‘awareness’ during game-changing catch in T20 WC final

Suryakumar Yadav nailed his decision-making and awareness when he played the game-changing play in the T20 World Cup final against South Africa in Barbados, India fielding coach T Dilip said. Needing 16 runs from the over, the dangerous David Miller hit a wide delivery from Hardik Pandya, but Suryakumar steadied himself on the ropes, caught the ball, released it just as it cleared the boundary ropes and then came back to complete a surprising catch .

“When the moment comes, it’s his decision and his awareness of the rope, that’s very important, and knowing with confidence that he can throw and come back, it’s a decision making at that moment, and he nailed it,” Dilip told PTI Video while talking about the capture.

Dilip, who started the innovative practice of awarding medals for the best on-field performance in training, said young and experienced players “gel well” and called it one of the best things about the Indian team.

“I must give credit to the players for taking the time for optional training despite such a tight schedule. They take responsibility themselves and come for optional training.

“Secondly, we all go through a system, like India A, NCA… One great thing about this team is that there is a combination of experienced players and a combination of young players, and they really do well together,” he said Dilip after the team’s title triumph on Saturday.

Dilip is the best example of someone who rose through the ranks, coaching in a state cricket academy’s junior age-group program, serving as an assistant fielding coach at the now-defunct IPL team Deccan Chargers, while also spending a decade at National Cricket Academy.

He has put in a lot of effort since he was appointed to the role and this has reflected in India’s efforts on the field.

He said it is difficult to track the cue ball when taking high catches during day matches.

“Especially under clear skies, it becomes very difficult, and so we also say track the ball to get that anchor point. So if there are clouds, spotlights, it becomes easier to track. But it’s definitely still not easy to track, especially for players from the subcontinent,” Dilip said.

Since 2012, Dilip has worked at various ZCA (Zonal Cricket Academy) and NCA age group camps. He has worked with the likes of Shubman Gill, Tilak Varma and Yashasvi Jaiswal during his NCA days and hence there is a familiarity with the younger set of cricketers in the national setup.

As far as the senior players are concerned, their good work did not go unnoticed by former NCA director and outgoing India coach Rahul Dravid, who ensured that Dilip received regular India A assignments, which would also help him develop training modules for elite cricket players. .

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