The amazing thing about fielding is that it’s not necessary that you have to field only at a designated part of the ground. Based on how strong you are at your basics in terms of having the right balance and technique, you can master fielding, irrespective of your position. Today’s blog does exactly that. Let’s begin with fielding drills.

Are you ready to become the next Herschelle Gibbs? Fielding has its own set of challenges as it requires quick reflexes on either side. From learning several bowling drills like the slow ball, the bouncer and the yorker, it’s time to shift your attention to fielding drills that can strengthen your fundamentals.

The first exercise is pretty basic. Stay in a crouched position with your knees slightly bent. Next, ask a friend or your coach to throw balls at you on either side. To begin with, practise catching the balls that are aimed at the right side. Alternatively, practise the same exercise by catching the ball coming towards your left. For the best position, before the ball arrives, bend your knees and stay prepared with the right technique.

The next drill is a challenging one. Ask your friend/coach to throw balls at you on either side, however, at the same time. Now, you too would have one ball in the right hand and one in the left hand. As your coach throws balls on either side, try doing the same. This is a drill that can help in strong ball-eye coordination and most importantly, improve your peripheral vision.

Here is another drill that can test your ability to field. Ask your coach to hit cricket balls at you using a tennis racquet. As a tennis racquet is used, the ball will reach you significantly faster. Now, for the challenge, instead of facing your coach to catch the ball, face the opposite direction. Moving on, ask your coach to count to three and say the word “turn”. As he asks you to turn, turn around and get into a crouched fielding position for the best balance.

For the next drill, let’s test your fielding skills in the slip region. For this, call in two friends – one with the bat and the other with the ball. As the bowler throws the ball at the friend who has the bat, let the ball just edge the bat and come at you. This would test your agility in terms of reaction time. Remember, the closer you stand, the more challenging it gets. Repeat the drill until you feel comfortable as a slip fielder.

Let’s move on to cover fielding for the next drill. Ask your friend to be the batter. Now, as you throw the ball at him, ask a few more friends to line up behind you. The technique here is to move 2 to 3 steps in front before the ball arrives. However, before the ball reaches you, stay crouched in a comfortable fielding position. Once you catch the ball, pass it to your friend behind and repeat the exercise. Always remember, repetitions are key. Practise hard until you get the hang of it.

The next exercise would test your fielding skills and how good you are at throwing the ball straight at the wicket for a run-out. Place a single stump on the pitch. Ask a friend to stand on the other side of the stump, or behind the stumps. Once your friend throws the ball at either side, approach the ball and throw it straight at the stump. You could either use the under-arm technique or throw the ball from over your shoulders.

As for the next blog post, we dive into wicket keeping drills.