NEW DELHI: Veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has praised fielding coach T Dilip, calling him a "superstar" for significantly improving India's fielding standards, particularly in slip catching.
During Rahul Dravid's head coach tenure, Dilip replaced R Sridhar as the Indian fielding coach and continued in the role when Gautam Gambhir took over.
Ashwin noted that a Google search about T Dilip mistakenly labels him as an "internet personality," but he believes that description is unfair, calling him their "celebrity fielding coach."
"If you want to talk about fielding, where should we start? Let's talk about Dilip sir first. Actually, we'd searched for our fielding coach (in Google) and he turned out to be an internet personality. So unfair," PTI quoted Ashwin as saying to reporters in Chennai on Sunday after the first Test against Bangladesh.
"He is not an internet personality. He is our celebrity fielding coach. Superstar."
Ashwin's statements reflect the high regard the team has for Dilip. The Chennai Test against Bangladesh showcased some moments supporting Ashwin's remarks.
Yashasvi Jaiswal's acrobatic catch off Ashwin's bowling ended the resistance of Bangladesh veteran Shakib Al Hasan, highlighting the improvements Dilip has brought to the team's fielding.
Ashwin spoke about the changes Dilip implemented over the last couple of years. He noted that slip catching was challenging a year or two ago, but there has been significant improvement since Dilip took over.
"Slip catching was a bit of a challenge a year or two ago. But Jaiswal has shown improvement in slip catching in the last year or two from the series in South Africa. He has made a very good catch here at the second slip as well."
One standout moment was Jaiswal's brilliant catch at second slip to dismiss Bangladesh opener Zakir Hasan off Jasprit Bumrah's bowling.
Ashwin mentioned that Jaiswal's development as a dependable close-in fielder has provided the team with another strong option besides KL Rahul.
"KL Rahul is an amazing fielder in second slip. And he (Jaiswal) was able to replace him in the second slip. So, according to me, they worked very hard."
Ashwin highlighted the difficulty of close-in catching positions, such as short-leg, and praised Jaiswal for volunteering and performing well in these roles.
"The close-in catching, in places like short-leg, is a very difficult thing. You don't get good fielders like this. Jaiswal himself volunteers and stands up."
"He also does head-to-head work. So, all in all, we didn't get to see Dilip Sir's name not getting mentioned more prominently."
Overall, Ashwin's comments underline the critical role T Dilip has played in enhancing the Indian cricket team's fielding capabilities, marking him as an invaluable asset to the support staff.
