Ravindra Jadeja is cut above the rest, he's pleasing to the eye when he chases the ball: R Sridhar

Former India fielding coach R Sridhar lavished praise on all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja for his gun fielding and athleticism. He further noted how the fielding standards have shot up in the modern-day while recalling how the 80s and 90s were periods when there was hardly any importance given or attention paid to ground fielding.

However, Sridhar went on to laud former skipper Mohammad Azharuddin for his agile work at the ground, while also marking him as the man responsible to make the players realise the importance of good ground fielding. 

“It is difficult to judge across different eras and fielding judged by different standards. In the ’80s when Ajju bhai (Mohd. Azharuddin’s nickname in Indian cricket) made his debut, there was no fitness culture in Indian cricket.

“It kicked in only in the late 90s and Ajju bhai was a stand-out because of his athleticism and because he had great hands, good throw. Probably the bench-mark was different,” Sridhar was quoted by India Today.

Jadeja is pleasing to the eye even when he is chasing a ball: R Sridhar

Sridhar, who was at the helm of the team until as recently as the 2021 T20 World Cup, stated that watching Jadeja in the field while he chases the ball is “pleasing to the eye”.

“Jadeja is someone who is pleasing to the eye even when he is chasing a ball to the boundary. He is cut above rest in world cricket,” he said. “So was Azhar during his time. Azhar of 1985 to 1990 would have been a brilliant fielder even now, whether slips, close-in or being lightning in the outfield,” Sridhar further said.

Jadeja, who is currently nursing a forearm injury that forced him out of the second and final Test against New Zealand in Mumbai, has not been named in the Indian squad for the upcoming three-match Test series. 

The series starts with the Boxing Day Test in Centurion, followed by the second in Johannesburg from January 3-7 and the third and final one in Cape Town from January 11-15, while three ODIs will follow between January 19 to 23 in Paarl and Cape Town.