Cutting angles: India’s key to success in Auckland

Virat Kohli (left) and Arshdeep Singh during India’s training session at Eden Park AUCKLAND: The Eden Park outfield was abuzz as the Indian cricket team got down to business ahead of the first ODI of the five-match series against New Zealand. Divided into groups of four, the players ran between two equidistant cones placed around the ground and intercepted deliveries fired by field coach Subhadeep Ghosh and other members of the support staff.The plan was simple: players were asked to call out loud and clear as they approached the ball, and whoever reached it first had to hit it back to the thrower. The drill lasted about 30 minutes and emphasized the importance of running in straight lines, even when approaching the ball from different angles. The goal was to help players familiarize themselves with terrain dimensions that are different from what they are used to.Therein lies the challenge in Auckland. The headlights are different, the dimensions can seem unfamiliar, and the ground field can be tricky, with plenty of opportunities to take deuces into deeper pockets.Former India fielding coach R Sridhar, who was with the team during its last tour, says Auckland’s dimensions are different and challenging, which is why the concept of “cutting angles” is particularly important.“Cutting the angle means running in straight lines. Simple. You judge the speed of the ball and the dimensions and then you run towards the ball in a straight line. Awareness, ability to run and take off quickly – all these things are a challenge,” Sridhar told TOI.Other factors come into play, such as wind, cold conditions and the time the match starts. However, the team has traveled extensively and should be equipped to deal with these variables. Having only had one training session before taking to the pitch on Wednesday, adapting quickly to Eden Park will be key.Fielding is one area where India would like to do their best in the upcoming series, especially with ‘catching efficiency’ becoming an increasingly important metric.While India’s fielding standards are generally better in ODIs than in T20Is and Tests, the team no longer has the watertight look it once did. In the 18 ODIs played since the change of captaincy in the format, starting with last year’s tour of Australia, India have dropped 27 catches and posted a below average catch efficiency of 77.5%.Kuldeep Yadav has lost five catches in the 11 matches he has played, while KL Rahul is second on the unwanted list with four losses in 16 matches. Interestingly, Rohit Sharma has taken the most catches among Indian players in these 18 matches and tops the list with 15 catches and just two drops.Eden Park will be the first stop on the tour, which will then move on to windy Wellington and Seddon Park in Hamilton before the five-match ODI series culminates at the picturesque Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui.“Each venue has its own issues. In Wellington there’s wind and in Auckland – where the countryside is bigger – different dimensions – but the Bay Oval should be fine. It’s on the open side but the conditions for adaptation will be good,” Sridhar said.Addressing India’s lapses in the field, Sridhar emphasized that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to preparation. He believes that the experience in the ODI team will help the players overcome the challenges.“Each player will be different. The volume of preparation depends on the player’s mental state, what the player needs at that moment and what he has done before. So there is a lot of foundation in the volume. You can’t go blindly and say that everyone has to do this volume. It doesn’t work that way. There is a lot of experience in ODIs. You have Rohit, Virat, Gilla there,” they said Srid I’m also played well there.

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