Former South African batsman Jonty Rhodes, who is widely regarded as one of the best fielders in the game, came up with the ultimate praise for Ravindra Jadeja – the fielder. Rhodes said that there is only one top quality fielder in world cricket and that is Jadeja.

Rhodes told The Times of India when asked to name the current top three fielders in the world –

“Right now, there is only one – Ravindra Jadeja.” Jadeja will be turning up for the CSK in IPL 2023. He was the captain of the side at the start of the previous season but stood down midway after CSK’s disappointing show. He will have a point to prove this year.

Rhodes said – “It is T20 cricket specifically, not just limited overs. Only when IPL began, people really started focusing on fielding. Not every team had fielding coaches. There was enough time in 50-over matches.” Rhodes, who is the current fielding coach of LSG narrated how IPL, since its inception back in 2008, has played a key role in improving the fielding standards of cricketers across the globe.

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Rhodes added – “You had 3-4 good fielders and 6-7 guys didn’t do great. But once IPL started, we saw growth in fielding. Since 2008, around 12-13 years have been amazing. Earlier, people spoke about fielding but there were only 3-4 good individuals. But now, as a team we have seen the growth of fielding go through the roof.”

Rhodes further said –

“It is not difficult to focus on fielding because it is a discipline. We have fielding coaches and their job is to make the work done. Just like batting and bowling, it is a part of daily practice. As a fielding coach, I am not requesting players, I am getting them into fielding rules. Fielding now is an important part of cricket.”