Cricketing wisdom shows on Steve Rixon’s battle-scarred visage. His eyes are sharp, picking out little details in the arena. And there is a sense of calmness about the man, and his words are measured.
The former Australian wicket-keeper batsman has been excelling in the role of fielding coach for Chennai Super Kings. The Hindu caught up with the 61-year-old New South Welshman at Chepauk for an exclusive chat.
These are the days when batsmen masquerading as ’keepers are increasing in numbers. This often happens at the cost of specialist wicket-keepers. The breed of traditional wicketkeeper-batsmen could be under threat.
Teams are seeking quick fixes, and that can have detrimental long-term consequences.
“Only in the shorter formats do you see specialist batsmen keeping wickets. Even in one-day cricket you need a regular ’keeper who can bat. Only in Twenty20, where the ball rarely travels to the ’keeper, a non-specialist might help the side. Even here, a crucial catch dropped might make all the difference. In Test cricket, I do not think the specialist wicket-keepers are in any danger,” Rixon said. A specialist wicket-keeper brings a lot of value to the team, he said. “Keeping wicket is just one aspect of his role. He is in the game every ball, and constantly gives feedbacks to the bowler and the captain on the surface and the angles. He often plans dismissals with the bowler. He keeps the morale of the side high, encourages the bowlers,” he said.
“Now, if the wicket-keeper is a make-shift one and drops catches or misses stumpings himself, what confidence can he give to the bowlers? They would be demoralised. An ordinary ’keeper adversely impacts the entire bowling unit.”
Known for his fast hands and gravity-defying catches, Rixon kept wicket for Australia in the late 70s and the mid-80s. His career ran parallel to that of wicket-keeping legend Rodney Marsh, which meant Rixon’s Test appearances were limited to 13; he held 42 catches and effected five stumpings.
Asked about who is most qualified to don the big gloves for India after M.S. Dhoni’s retirement from Tests, Rixon replied: “Wriddhiman Saha is the man for you. He is neat and tidy, has good hands. You got to give him a run. He can bat a bit too.”
On Dhoni’s wicket-keeping attributes, Rixon said: “In his own conditions MS (Dhoni) is an outstanding ’keeper. But in conditions where the ball seams or swings a lot, I would put Brad Haddin ahead of him.
“You got to give credit to Dhoni; he has worked extremely hard on his ’keeping.”
Haddin, Rixon affirmed, was the best wicketkeeper batsman in world cricket today. “He makes difficult catches appear easy, is balanced and quick. He is physically strong and supple with unwavering concentration,” he said.
England’s Bob Taylor was Rixon’s idol while growing up. “He was technically so correct. I believed he was an even better ’keeper than Alan Knott, but Knott could swing matches with the bat. India’s Syed Kirmani was very good. He was very safe, moved very well, had good fundamentals,” said Rixon.
While acknowledging that Adam Gilchrist is the most influential wicket-keeper-batsman of our times, Rixon said: “Purely as a ’keeper, I would rate Ian Healy higher. He was fantastic ’keeping to Shane Warne’s leg-spin, and is the finest ‘keeper I have seen.”
