Team India captain  Rohit Sharma and fielding coach T Dilip opined on the dominant fielding display that played a big role in India’s thumping 106-run win over England in the second Test in Vishakapatnam. The Indian Team were at their sparkling best on the fielding front, with sharp catches and run-outs being done with perfection. Rohit and KS Bharat’s catches to dismiss Ollie Pope and Ben Duckett were amazing while Shreyas Iyer’s brilliant direct hit to send back Ben Stokes in the final innings was definitely a game-changing moment.

“In a Test, the key thing is to maintain that momentum, intensity, and energy throughout the game. We have been fantastic, credit to the boys. The game really tilted towards us with Shreyas Iyer’s run-out, the way he moved and anticipated the shot, and getting that direct hit, especially to send back someone like Ben Stokes. Overall, I am really happy as a fielding coach because the boys have done a fantastic job,” T Dilip said in a video released by BCCI.

Rohit Sharma also opined on his sharp catch at slip to send Ollie Pope back into the pavilion. He only had 0.45 seconds to react as the ball flew after the batter got an outside edge. Rohit made a late adjustment in his position and successfully managed to grab the ball.

“We took some brilliant catches, and some brilliant run outs as well, game-changing run out. Of course, as a slip fielder, you are always ready for it. The idea is to just stay still and then react. It was a crucial wicket for us because Ollie Pope was somebody who was in good form. Sometimes the ball comes so quickly, that you’ve got no time to react, and no time to take your body there. So, your hand needs to be there at the right time and in the right place. I hope to take many more catches like that in this series,” Rohit Sharma explained.

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Rohit Sharma also said that his ambition is to make India the best fielding side in the world as well. Fielding has been a priority for the Indian team for quite some time now, and although things have drastically improved, it is still far from perfect too.

“Fielding is something we really pride ourselves. We want to be the best fielding team, the smarter fielding team,” Rohit Sharma said.

Meanwhile, Shreyas Iyer also spoke about his ongoing back-and-forth fielding banter with Ben Stokes as well.

“You want to chip in and contribute, to see to it that you can do a piece of magic. We are even-steven in terms of him taking a brilliant catch of mine in the second innings and also the run-out. So, we are even-steven now,” Shreyas said.

The third India-England Test will start in Rajkot from February 15 onwards.