The manner in which Jonty Rhodes defied gravity on the cricketing arena transported fielding into people’s consciousness. He was lightning quick on the ball, swift with his throws and made blinders appear commonplace.
Rhodes, here as a mentor for Ruby Trichy Warriors in the TNPL, said his exposure to sports other than cricket — he played hockey, tennis and football while growing up — sharpened his fielding.
The South African said, “In hockey, the way you dribbled the ball and pushed ahead was how I learnt to run in the covers.”
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Rhodes observed, “As a tennis player, I would have to return serve with the backhand or the forehand. That is where my split jump came from.”
He added, “I was a football goalkeeper. If the striker entered the box, the goalkeeper came off his line. That’s what I did as a backward-point fielder, just keep homing in on the batsman and cutting down the angles.”
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Keeping fit
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Rhodes’ passion for surfing — he connects with old rival Matthew Hayden through their escapades in the sea — keeps him super fit at 48.
But then, it is cricket which constantly brings him back to India; Rhodes is in the star-studded coaching staff of the Mumbai Indians.
He called cricket in India “an incredible machine and animal,” and spoke about Twenty20 leagues brining many cricketers from the periphery to the centre-stage.
Rhodes marvelled at India’s fielding standards these days. “Back then, Yuvraj, Kaif and Harbhajan were the best fielders and you had to hide the eight others. Now, you hardly have to hide two or three fielders.”
He credited M.S. Dhoni and Virat Kohli for bringing about this ‘fielding transformation’ and fitness culture to the Indian team. “It’s not just about training hard, it’s about training smart,” he noted.
Importantly, Rhodes said, “Virat keeps only players who are good fielders in the side.” Turning his attention to the controversy surrounding A.B. de Villiers’ prolonged absence from Tests, he said,
“The frustrating part about South African cricket is you keep waiting for a player to return than moving forward. AB wanted to quit Tests a while back, but the South African board wanted him to stay.”
Rhodes opined there needed to be greater clarity too from de Villiers about his future in Tests.
Dwelling on women’s cricket and the success of the Indian team, he said,
“The more you equate it with men’s cricket and make it more visible, the more women’s cricket will grow. India making the World Cup final certainly helped the sport get attention.”
Rhodes’ jaunty road to success in the sport continues — this time as a coach and a mentor.