Kaif feels fielders requires equally good skills than a batsman.
Mohammad Kaif is still in the list of best fielders to feature for India cricket team. The former India cricketer used to pump up the fans with his athleticism on the field.
Kaif played for India when the team wasn't among the best fielding sides, and he managed to grab attention for his outstanding fielding displays. His partner Yuvraj Singh was always a tough fielder to beat for any batsman.
Speaking in an interview with Times of India, Kaif says fielding is like batting and it requires good skills. He lauded India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja for his high-class fielding efforts.
“Jadeja is improving by age and is setting a good example. Just like a complete batsman is the one who can play the bouncer well, is able to drive, play the cut and the pull well and play spin also comfortably and has the patience to stay at the crease," he said.
“All these things add up to make a good batsman. It is the same in fielding. You should know how to slide, you should be able to run fast, you should have endurance, you should have a good aim even after stopping the ball with a dive. All these things add up to make a good fielder,” Kaif added.
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Interestingly, the ex-India cricketer feels a player should be considered an all-rounder if he has good batting and fielding skills.
“So I feel batting and fielding have lots of similarities and a good fielder who is also a good batsman should also be called an all-rounder. And a player should be rewarded for being a good fielder so that a player gets encouragement to become a good fielder,” Kaif said.
“To become a good fielder one has put in long hours of practice. The fielding drills should not be about quality but quantity, only then one can become a good fielder. One should be obsessed about becoming a good fielder.
“Because a match doesn’t have a 30-minute time span, so you should have the fitness of staying on the ground. A catch can come anytime even if you are tired, you may have to dive, you may have to slide to catch the ball. That ability comes through the practice of quantity, not quality. You should also have a good technique and good hand-eye coordination,” he added.
“But if you make up your mind that you have to spend long hours at the field, then you can become a good fielder. One cannot become a good fielder by looking at the time and an hour-long practice. Keep the time aside and give emphasis on effort and commitment, only then you can become a good fielder,” Kaif said.
(WITH TOI INPUTS)