Indian fielding coach R Sridhar innovates a drill to improve slip catching

One thing that has been haunting Indian fielding coach R Sridhar in the last few years has been the slip cordon and its inconsistent performances. In a few games, they seem as solid as a rock and in a few important junctures, they tend to drop sitters. Although it’s understandable that the art is difficult to perfect, the level of inconsistency is something to be concerned about.

In the third Test against England, the Indian slip cordon was at its best and didn’t spill most opportunities that came their way. KL Rahul particularly was tremendous and completed 7 catches standing at second slip. Understanding the importance of slip catching in these conditions Sridhar has been exploring new ways to help the fielders improve their reflexes.

Dhawan reveals the new slip-catching drill

Opener Shikhar Dhawan shared a video on Twitter where he revealed the new slip-catching drill which was set up by Sridhar. He reckons that this drill has helped them improve their reaction time and reflexes the two main components that constitute effective and efficient slip catching.

In the drill, Sridhar set up an opaque whiteboard a little above ground level and kept some space between the bottom of the board and the ground for the ball to travel. The keeper and a slip fielders were present at one end and Sridhar was at the other. The fielding coach kept throwing the ball to them through the space under this board, which didn’t afford them enough time to judge the trajectory.

He also advised those watching the video to stay low and keep soft hands to ensure most of the catches stick in your hand. Dhawan has been at the receiving end of some criticism for his slip-catching and he’s leaving no stone unturned to nullify that weakness.

“Had a good slip catch practice session with an innovate drill set up by R Sridhar to improve reaction time. Pro-tip to everyone watching this video: Stay low and keep soft hands to not those tough slip catches,” Dhawan said.

Here’s the video of the unique drill composed by Sridhar:

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