CT 2013: Kohli, Sharma, Raina make India the best fielding side

Birmingham: Not giving away quick singles, no overthrows, taking miraculous catches and direct hits on the stumps, well this was not the way Indian team’s fielding side used to play like up till a few years ago.

Except for the phase when Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif raised the bar for fielding in the team, India’s fielding has been more or less dismal in the past few years.

  

 But times have changed, to be wary of stealing a single, because you know there's an extremely agile fielder lurking around, can be a most annoying feeling. But it's precisely the kind of feeling India's fielders have managed to bring out in opposition batsmen in the Champions Trophy. 

From Cardiff to London and now in Birmingham, India's fielding has gone from good to better and is easily now the best in the tournament.

The question that begs attention right now is if this fielding side is India's best ever. Or even one of the best in the world. 

MS Dhoni's young brigade -- all between 23 and 28 years of age -- come across like a pack of wolves inside the 30-yard circle, especially when the Powerplays are on. Presence of mind, great speed, agility and stamina, well-aimed throw-ins and the natural instinct to fly at anything passing by makes the likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Dinesh Karthik, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja and Shikhar Dhawan look dangerous.

Dhoni always wished for a bunch of players he wouldn't have to hide in the field. The seniors-versus-juniors debate that often became the hotbed for controversies in Indian cricket was one of the biggest pointers to how India's fielding suffered due to some less athletic men. 

In this team, almost five or six players can man the gully, point, cover and mid-wicket regions and there's plenty of choice available for the skipper.

  

Right now, Dhoni, who decides the fielding positions from behind the wicket, doesn't have to worry about having to give away on having a slip fielder in the shorter format simply because a short third-man, on young legs, can be shuffled around.

A cricketer's inability to provide quick reflexes in the mid-field and the outfield -- especially in high scoring areas -- is often worse than a captain having to set the field for bad bowling. If that isn't enough, good fielding -- apart from saving runs and helping run-outs -- is the best viable option for lifting spirits and demoralizing the opposition too.