Gone are the days for the Jack of all trades. We need functional experts to man the greens as fielding is now a specialised art.
WHEN I had played for India in the inaugural World Cup in England in '75, the limited overs matches were of 60 overs per side. Then there was restriction only for bowlers on the number of overs each could bowl. Nowadays, there is the 30-yard circle and in the inner circle two fielders ought to be placed close to the wicket at catching positions in the first 15 overs.
The fielding standards have substantially improved these days. In cricketing parlance, "runs saved while fielding are runs scored". The coming World Cup is to be played in England and for the players from Asian countries, it is a big challenge to adapt to changing conditions. We are lucky that our team will be going to England 20 days before the event kicks off and will have the services of Australia's Bobby Simpson. What more do you want! Indians would strive to emerge as the best fielding side in the showpiece event.
I still remember dropping the big-hitting Lance Cairns at Wellington on the New Zealand tour in '76 while fielding at long-on as it was very cold. I couldn't even feel the impact of the ball when it touched my hands. But later I did catch the second one lofted by the same batsman.
The Indian think-tank will have to go deep while analysing the specialised, close-in catching positions. These days we see Dravid and Azharuddin in close catching positions and Ganguly, Srinath and Prasad in the slips. (Tendulkar is in the slips whenever he is fit). Here, I feel we should concentrate on specialised fielders, that is if Ganguly is to man slips, he should be given that responsibility throughout and players should not be shuffled. Even if a fielder drops catches, he should still be made a specialist for that particular position.
And we should also remember that keeping Srinath and Prasad in the slips is not going to help the team. In this context, I might add that I could concentrate on my fielding at forward short-leg thanks mainly to the role played by my captains, Ajit Wadekar and Tiger Pataudi.
If the coach and the Indian think-tank considers the option of allotting specialised positions to the fielders, a lot of problems can be solved and the team can win matches hands down. We have a balanced batting and bowling attack. It's only our fielding that isn't up to the mark.
In England, fielders should keep themselves agile in cold conditions. They should emulate former England keeper Alan Knott who used to do something or the other, like kneeling and bending. And fielders must rub their hands to keep them warm.
My sincere advice: fielders must take a minimum of 20 to 25 catches during the practice session before a match.