Former South African cricketer Jonty Rhodes signs a portrait of himself during an event at a school on the outskirts of Chennai.
South African cricket legend Jonty Rhodes on Saturday termed Ravindra Jadeja as the “all-rounder and all-rounder” in the world right now, and also praised former Indian off-spinner Suresh Raina’s skills on the field.
Rhodes, 55, regarded as one of the greatest fielders of all time and the first South African cricketer to take 100 catches in ODIs, played for the national team from 1992 to 2003.
Post-retirement, Rhodes has been associated with several IPL teams including Mumbai Indians, Punjab Kings and most recently Lucknow Super Giants as a fielding coach.
“I am a big fan of Suresh Raina. I enjoyed his playing days but he has retired now. In the past in India, the cricket infrastructure was not there to support the passion and love for cricket. Suresh Raina was someone who used to throw himself all over the field,” said Rhodes, who was roped in as the brand ambassador for the Hero Pro Corporate League cricket tournament on Saturday.
“Unlike Raina, I had a very lucky childhood. I played football, hockey and cricket on good pitches, so I was very lucky.
“I think Jadeja is at the next level, he doesn’t dive as much but he’s very quick to get to the ball. And his accuracy in hitting the ball at the stumps is similar to Ricky Ponting. He fields on the boundaries, in the circle. He’s a complete all-rounder,” Rhodes added.
Rhodes also provided significant insight into what it takes to become a good gardener.
“It has nothing to do with your hands, it’s actually all about your legs, because if you use your legs and you’re there at the right time, you can put your hands in the right position. You can have the best hands in the world and the most magnetic hands, but if you don’t have legs, you can’t do it.
“The important thing is the speed in positioning the body, it is a question of technique,” he added.
Rhodes said that at 55 years old he still doesn’t think twice about taking the field.
“For me, flying is not the problem right now, it’s landing. When I’m on the field, I don’t think about ‘should I jump or not’. I think that’s what has allowed me to succeed on the field,” he said.
“So, if you are thinking of not shooting, you can never stop the ball. My father, who was my coach, and a school principal used to tell me that the saying ‘practice makes perfect’ is not correct, but what matters is perfect practice. Practice how you play in the game,” he added.
Former India player Chetan Sharma is the league’s commissioner.
(Only the headline and image of this report may have been reworked by Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
First published: August 31, 2024 | 16:52 IS
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