From the formative days to quite a long time, Indian cricket wasn’t known for it’s fielding. Even as there was no questioning their prowess with the bat and ball, their work in the outfield wasn’t as clean as one would expect it to be. Catches used to go down and sloppy ground-fielding also resulted in bonus runs for the oppositions.

However, the trends seemed to have changed now. With the likes of Robin Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif and many others coming to the fore, the fielding standards have increased.

The sharp works also put pressure on the other team. The levels have risen to such an extent that on some instances, they have been trusted as fielders by their opponent. They haven’t flattered to deceive by any stretch of the imagination.

In the article, let’s take a look at three instances when Indian players fielded for other sides: &#8211;

1. Sachin Tendulkar fielding for Pakistan

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-414016" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Sachin-Tenndulkar.jpg" alt="Sachin Tendulkar" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-414016" class="wp-caption-text">Sachin Tendulkar. (Photo Source: Ben Radford/Allsport)</figcaption>

Back in 1986-87, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/crictracker/photos/a.601832999847425/3451657098198320/?type=3&amp;theater" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Pakistan</a> toured India for a five-match Test series, which the visitors won with a 16-run victory in Bangalore. One of the games was against the CCI at the Brabourne Stadium. In the 40th over of the contest a 13-year-old Sachin Tendulkar was named as one of the substitute fielders of the Pakistan team.

It was after Javed Miandad and Abdul Qadir went off the field at lunchtime. Sachin mentioned the same in his autobiography ‘Playing It My Way’. He was deployed at wide long-on by skipper Imran Khan.

The Master Blaster also wrote that he almost took a catch, running 15 metres, to dismiss Kapil Dev. A couple of years ago, Tendulkar made his debut for India against Pakistan. From there, there was no looking back for him and he carved himself among the legends.

2. Mandeep Singh fielding for South Africa A

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-414014" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Mandee-Singh.jpg" alt="Mandeep Singh" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-414014" class="wp-caption-text">Mandeep Singh. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption>

Back in 2015, Mandeep Singh had to take the field for South Africa A at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. Four of the Proteas’ cricketers were indisposed with stomach bugs and cramps during the match. Prior to that, the visiting team had their video analyst Hendrikus Coertzen fielding for them.

Thereafter, Mandeep fielded while wearing the jersey of Eddie Leie on the back of his jersey. Later 10 of the visitors’ players were hospitalised in Chennai due to food poisoning. Mandeep wasn’t in India A’s playing eleven after coach Rahul Dravid preferred <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/rapid-fire-always-burns-me-kl-rahul-indirectly-recalls-koffee-with-karan-controversy-in-instagram-live-with-mayank-agarwal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Mayank Agarwal</a> over him.

Agarwal’s 130 helped the hosts chase down 245 in 37.4 overs. In the very next year, Mandeep made his debut for India. But after three matches against Zimbabwe in Harare, he lost his place from the team.

3. Rahul Dravid fielding for Scotland

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-410675" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Rahul-Dravid-ScottLand.jpg" alt="Rahul Dravid" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-410675" class="wp-caption-text">Rahul Dravid. (Photo Source: Getty Images)</figcaption>

After a gruelling campaign in the 2003 World Cup, India had an extended off-season before tours of New Zealand, Australia and Pakistan. However, Rahul Dravid took it as chance to hone his skills further. He got an offer from head coach John Wright to represent Scotland Saltires in the National Cricket League.

He signed up to play 11 county matches and a one-off tour game against Pakistan. Gwynne Jones, the Chief Executive of the Scottish Cricket Union, was expecting to strike a deal with Sachin Tendulkar, but Wright turned down the offer as he wanted Dravid itself.

The right-hander weaved his magic in the tournament, scoring 600 runs at an average of 66.66. Dravid’s efforts went in vain though, as Scotland won only a solitary game out of the 12 matches he took part in.

From the formative days to quite a long time, Indian cricket wasn’t known for it’s fielding. Even as there was no questioning their prowess with the bat and ball, their work in the outfield wasn’t as clean as one would expect it to be. Catches used to go down and sloppy ground-fielding also resulted in bonus runs for the oppositions.
However, the trends seemed to have changed now. With the likes of Robin Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif and many others coming to the fore, the fielding standards have increased.
The sharp works also put pressure on the other team. The levels have risen to such an extent that on some instances, they have been trusted as fielders by their opponent. They haven’t flattered to deceive by any stretch of the imagination.
<h3>In the article, let’s take a look at three instances when Indian players fielded for other sides: –</h3>
<h3>1. Sachin Tendulkar fielding for Pakistan</h3>
<figure id="attachment_414016" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-414016" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-414016" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Sachin-Tenndulkar.jpg" alt="Sachin Tendulkar" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-414016" class="wp-caption-text">Sachin Tendulkar. (Photo Source: Ben Radford/Allsport)</figcaption></figure>
Back in 1986-87, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/crictracker/photos/a.601832999847425/3451657098198320/?type=3&amp;theater" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Pakistan</a> toured India for a five-match Test series, which the visitors won with a 16-run victory in Bangalore. One of the games was against the CCI at the Brabourne Stadium. In the 40th over of the contest a 13-year-old Sachin Tendulkar was named as one of the substitute fielders of the Pakistan team.
It was after Javed Miandad and Abdul Qadir went off the field at lunchtime. Sachin mentioned the same in his autobiography ‘Playing It My Way’. He was deployed at wide long-on by skipper Imran Khan.
The Master Blaster also wrote that he almost took a catch, running 15 metres, to dismiss Kapil Dev. A couple of years ago, Tendulkar made his debut for India against Pakistan. From there, there was no looking back for him and he carved himself among the legends.

<h3>2. Mandeep Singh fielding for South Africa A</h3>
<figure id="attachment_414014" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-414014" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-414014" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Mandee-Singh.jpg" alt="Mandeep Singh" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-414014" class="wp-caption-text">Mandeep Singh. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption></figure>
Back in 2015, Mandeep Singh had to take the field for South Africa A at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. Four of the Proteas’ cricketers were indisposed with stomach bugs and cramps during the match. Prior to that, the visiting team had their video analyst Hendrikus Coertzen fielding for them.
Thereafter, Mandeep fielded while wearing the jersey of Eddie Leie on the back of his jersey. Later 10 of the visitors’ players were hospitalised in Chennai due to food poisoning. Mandeep wasn’t in India A’s playing eleven after coach Rahul Dravid preferred <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/rapid-fire-always-burns-me-kl-rahul-indirectly-recalls-koffee-with-karan-controversy-in-instagram-live-with-mayank-agarwal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Mayank Agarwal</a> over him.
Agarwal’s 130 helped the hosts chase down 245 in 37.4 overs. In the very next year, Mandeep made his debut for India. But after three matches against Zimbabwe in Harare, he lost his place from the team.

<h3>3. Rahul Dravid fielding for Scotland</h3>
<figure id="attachment_410675" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-410675" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-410675" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Rahul-Dravid-ScottLand.jpg" alt="Rahul Dravid" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-410675" class="wp-caption-text">Rahul Dravid. (Photo Source: Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
After a gruelling campaign in the 2003 World Cup, India had an extended off-season before tours of New Zealand, Australia and Pakistan. However, Rahul Dravid took it as chance to hone his skills further. He got an offer from head coach John Wright to represent Scotland Saltires in the National Cricket League.
He signed up to play 11 county matches and a one-off tour game against Pakistan. Gwynne Jones, the Chief Executive of the Scottish Cricket Union, was expecting to strike a deal with Sachin Tendulkar, but Wright turned down the offer as he wanted Dravid itself.
The right-hander weaved his magic in the tournament, scoring 600 runs at an average of 66.66. Dravid’s efforts went in vain though, as Scotland won only a solitary game out of the 12 matches he took part in.

From the formative days to quite a long time, Indian cricket wasn’t known for it’s fielding. Even as there was no questioning their prowess with the bat and ball, their work in the outfield wasn’t as clean as one would expect it to be. Catches used to go down and sloppy ground-fielding also resulted in bonus runs for the oppositions.
However, the trends seemed to have changed now. With the likes of Robin Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif and many others coming to the fore, the fielding standards have increased.
The sharp works also put pressure on the other team. The levels have risen to such an extent that on some instances, they have been trusted as fielders by their opponent. They haven’t flattered to deceive by any stretch of the imagination.
<h3>In the article, let’s take a look at three instances when Indian players fielded for other sides: &#8211;</h3>
<h3>1. Sachin Tendulkar fielding for Pakistan</h3>
<figure id="attachment_414016" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-414016" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-414016" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Sachin-Tenndulkar.jpg" alt="Sachin Tendulkar" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-414016" class="wp-caption-text">Sachin Tendulkar. (Photo Source: Ben Radford/Allsport)</figcaption></figure>
Back in 1986-87, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/crictracker/photos/a.601832999847425/3451657098198320/?type=3&amp;theater" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Pakistan</a> toured India for a five-match Test series, which the visitors won with a 16-run victory in Bangalore. One of the games was against the CCI at the Brabourne Stadium. In the 40th over of the contest a 13-year-old Sachin Tendulkar was named as one of the substitute fielders of the Pakistan team.
It was after Javed Miandad and Abdul Qadir went off the field at lunchtime. Sachin mentioned the same in his autobiography ‘Playing It My Way’. He was deployed at wide long-on by skipper Imran Khan.
The Master Blaster also wrote that he almost took a catch, running 15 metres, to dismiss Kapil Dev. A couple of years ago, Tendulkar made his debut for India against Pakistan. From there, there was no looking back for him and he carved himself among the legends.

<h3>2. Mandeep Singh fielding for South Africa A</h3>
<figure id="attachment_414014" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-414014" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-414014" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Mandee-Singh.jpg" alt="Mandeep Singh" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-414014" class="wp-caption-text">Mandeep Singh. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption></figure>
Back in 2015, Mandeep Singh had to take the field for South Africa A at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. Four of the Proteas’ cricketers were indisposed with stomach bugs and cramps during the match. Prior to that, the visiting team had their video analyst Hendrikus Coertzen fielding for them.
Thereafter, Mandeep fielded while wearing the jersey of Eddie Leie on the back of his jersey. Later 10 of the visitors’ players were hospitalised in Chennai due to food poisoning. Mandeep wasn’t in India A’s playing eleven after coach Rahul Dravid preferred <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/rapid-fire-always-burns-me-kl-rahul-indirectly-recalls-koffee-with-karan-controversy-in-instagram-live-with-mayank-agarwal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Mayank Agarwal</a> over him.
Agarwal’s 130 helped the hosts chase down 245 in 37.4 overs. In the very next year, Mandeep made his debut for India. But after three matches against Zimbabwe in Harare, he lost his place from the team.

<h3>3. Rahul Dravid fielding for Scotland</h3>
<figure id="attachment_410675" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-410675" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-410675" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Rahul-Dravid-ScottLand.jpg" alt="Rahul Dravid" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-410675" class="wp-caption-text">Rahul Dravid. (Photo Source: Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
After a gruelling campaign in the 2003 World Cup, India had an extended off-season before tours of New Zealand, Australia and Pakistan. However, Rahul Dravid took it as chance to hone his skills further. He got an offer from head coach John Wright to represent Scotland Saltires in the National Cricket League.
He signed up to play 11 county matches and a one-off tour game against Pakistan. Gwynne Jones, the Chief Executive of the Scottish Cricket Union, was expecting to strike a deal with Sachin Tendulkar, but Wright turned down the offer as he wanted Dravid itself.
The right-hander weaved his magic in the tournament, scoring 600 runs at an average of 66.66. Dravid’s efforts went in vain though, as Scotland won only a solitary game out of the 12 matches he took part in.

Fielding in India has developed leaps and bounds in the last decade or so.

3 Times when Indian cricketers fielded for opposition teams

From the formative days to quite a long time, Indian cricket wasn’t known for it’s fielding. Even as there was no questioning their prowess with the