India fielding coach T Dilip rates team's catching in Chennai Test

India not only outbatted and outbowled Bangladesh in the first Test in Chennai, which Rohit Sharma and Co. won by 280 runs, but also outfielded their opponents. The likes of KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, and Yashashvi Jaiswal took some remarkable catches, leaving India’s fielding coach T Dilip mighty impressed. 

Making his comeback to Test cricket after almost eight months, Rahul took a fine catch at second slip off Jasprit Bumrah’s bowling to get rid of Mushfiqur Rahim. Then, in the final innings, the 32-year-old claimed a superb forward-diving catch at mid-on to send back the same batter, this time off R Ashwin’s bowling.

Speaking in a video shared by BCCI, Dilip said, "KL Rahul's catch in the slip was a good one as he followed the ball and caught it behind his bodyline. It was a great example of following the ball properly. [On the second catch] Getting his fingers under the dipping ball and getting his timing right to the forward jump at mid-on.”

Chasing a target of 515, Bangladesh got off to a confident start, with Shadman Islam and Zakir Hasan putting up 62 runs for the opening wicket. Bumrah finally managed to get an outside edge of Zakir’s bat in the 17th over and the ball went towards gully where Jaiswal dived to his left and took a low one-handed stunner.

“It was one of the best you could have seen. Towards his non-dominant side, a really low ball dipping in, and he is running forward and the ball dipping fast. He took it with one hand, it was an absolute blinder of a catch, especially for a gully fielder.”

Meanwhile, Gill has one of the safest hands in world cricket, and the 25-year-old took a sharp low catch with both hands at mid-wicket to dismiss Shadman in the fourth innings. "Shubman Gill has terrific hands,” praised Dilip.

“Not only as a close-in fielder but also at in-field, out-field and an all-round very good fielder. He showed his awareness and composed himself, the ball was really dipping. And from short midwicket, he took a very composed catch.”

Kohli, too, took a couple of sharp catches at second slip in Bangladesh’s first innings, and Dilip said his practice habits make him one of the best in the business. “With Virat Kohli, what you got is. There's not much difference between the way he practices and he plays the game. Because the intensity at which he wants to go to the match, he always replicates in the practice session.”

The second and final Test will be played in Kanpur, starting on September 27.

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