Revealed: The secret behind India's fielding renaissance

Circa February 22. Chasing 308 for an improbable victory at the MCG, Faf du Plessis and AB de Villiers have added 68 runs for the third wicket. Ravindra Jadeja is operating from the Great Southern Stand End. The fifth delivery of the 23rd over sees de Villiers drive the ball to sweeper cover. The South Africa skipper, who boasts the fastest feet as well as the quickest arm in world cricket, decides to test Mohit Sharma's speed and accuracy. Going for a non-existent second run, he falls short by a few inches.

Ten overs later, the hard-hitting David Miller sweeps R Ashwin to deep square-leg. Umesh Yadav produces a superb throw. The replays show that Miller's bat is in the air.

Since the turn of the century, India have had some fabulous men guarding the 30-yard circle. From Yuvraj Singh to Mohammad Kaif, from Suresh Raina to Virat Kohli, from Rohit Sharma to Shikhar Dhawan, the Men in Blue have been blessed with some world-class fielders. But apart from players like Kapil Dev, Sachin Tendulkar and Ajit Agarkar to name a few, guarding the fence hasn't been India's forte.

That's precisely why MS Dhoni was elated after watching Sharma and Yadav pull off a coup. Tired of watching several India captains shield poor fielders by stationing them in the slips, third man or fine leg, the Indian fan can also look forward to watching his team put up an electric fielding display.

"If you score 280 runs, which is a par score, we know that with our fielding we can actually add another 15 runs. But other than (one or two slow fielders), I think we have got some excellent fielders. And apart from that, we have got fast bowlers who are above-average fielders. Overall, I've got plenty to play with. I don't always have to think about which player needs to go where. I have time to think more about the strategies," Dhoni had said.

"It's something that you will see in the coming years with more players (turning into good fielders) with the infrastructure that's provided to them and the importance that's given to fitness. So, you will see the new crop of players giving importance to fitness. This will really reflect in the fielding department. I think those two run-outs from fast bowlers really changed the game for us."

At the WACA on Wednesday, the players hit the practice field for the first time since Sunday's win. The kit bags stayed in the hotel. It was a 'field' day. Out came the tennis racquets and other equipment. The team, which put off its scheduled 2:00 pm stint by well over an hour, trooped into the iconic venue at 3:30 pm.

Assistant coaches R Sridhar (fielding) and Sanjay Bangar (batting) took charge after the players warmed up and performed the usual stretching exercises.

The players were then divided into three groups.

Bangar, armed with a tennis racquet and bright yellow tennis balls, offered 'dummy' catches to the boys stationed just 10 metres away. The idea was an interesting one. Bangar would aim at one of the players, who would in turn sell the dummy to the mate standing behind or next to him. A few metres away, Sridhar used a cricket bat and the white ball to offer skiers to the second group. The third bunch saw the boys engage in some serious ground fielding.

The best drill of the day saw the batsmen take on the bowlers. The teams lined up parallel to each other. One player from each group was required to sprint towards the ball hit at him, collect it and aim at the stumps kept some 20 yards away. There were enough shrieks and shouts to keep the security personnel interested. In the end, the batting team which clearly has better fielders like Kohli, Raina, Dhawan and Rohit, beat the bowlers hands down.

Thursday is also a rest day. The players will get hold of their kit bags on Friday, the eve of their third Group 'B' match against the UAE.