India's fielding coach addressed the media on the eve of the second ODI against New Zealand.
Ahead of India's second ODI against New Zealand in Wellington, fielding coach Subhadeep Ghosh shed light on how the team is dealing with the unique dimensions of Kiwi stadiums.
Ghosh cited Virat Kohli's spectacular one-handed catch and Rohit Sharma's sharp underarm run-out during the first ODI victory in Auckland as prime examples of early anticipation and deep muscle memory.
To train the rest of the squad for rapid adjustments, Ghosh has introduced yellow, lighter balls in practice sessions. These balls swing and move away dynamically in the air, forcing players to focus heavily on body stability and prompt judgment.
Ghosh took over the role from long-serving fielding coach T Dilip in August 2026, marking his first major media interaction since assuming charge
"We did well in the first ODI, we got some good catches, ground fielding was good, intensity was good," Ghosh, took over the role from long-serving fielding coach T Dilip in August 2026, told reporters on Saturday.
"Catches are part of the game, sometimes we drop some. We are conscious about this, we are taking responsibility. A lot of things are emphasised in practice sessions.
"In New Zealand, judging the ball is very important, the movement, the stability, these are things we are emphasising in the dressing room and are conscious about it," he added.
While younger players continue to adapt, Ghosh emphasized that Kohli and Rohit hold an unmatched edge due to their decades of positioning consistency.
"In fielding, one thing that is important is anticipation. Virat has fielded in covers, and point for lakhs of time. He knows the trajectory of the ball, the path of the ball, impact of the ball."
"He reads the situation earlier than other guys. Same for the Rohit run out, he was anticipating the ball. Experience as well as natural talent (goes into making a great fielder) and doing the same thing again and again," he explained.
The coach then elaborated the specific drills to help improve the reaction time of players. "The lighter ball moves away from you and requires stability," he stated. "These aspects we always talk about in the dressing room. If you play in (grounds with) small boundaries, there is no outfielder, everyone is infielder. The reaction time is less, the boundary is so close."
Despite a grueling schedule of the New Zealand tour, Ghosh said the focus has remained on building a razor-sharp mental approach rather than worrying about physical fatigue.
"It's more about mindset. It is physically challenging but they have played enough cricket to know how to react to these situations."
During the pre-match presser, Subhadeep Ghosh also refrained from sharing whether pacer Mohammed Siraj would be a part of the playing XI in Saturday's game, saying that management will take the call.
(With PTI Inputs)