Former India cricketerMohammad Kaifshowered praise on batting legend Sachin Tendulkar, calling him one of the finest fielders he has shared the field with. Speaking on the latest episode of JioHotstar's special show 'Cheeky Singles', Kaif highlighted Tendulkar's exceptional athleticism, safe hands, and powerful throwing arm, while also recalling the work ethic that made him stand out throughout his illustrious career.
Joining Kaif on the show, former India all-rounder Suresh Raina also shared memories
of Uttar Pradesh's rigorous fielding culture, learning from senior players, and a painful collision with Irfan Pathan during a match in Australia.
Kaif said Tendulkar's commitment to fielding often went unnoticed because of his extraordinary achievements with the bat. According to the former India fielder, the Master Blaster rarely missed fielding practice and remained one of the safest catchers in the side.
"Sachin paaji was a formidable fielder. We often remember diving catches, like Jonty Rhodes' famous dive, but the amount of ground Sachin paaji covered just by running was outstanding. The man had a proper routine. There wasn't a single net session where he didn't practise fielding. He played for India for 24 years, and do you remember him dropping catches? There may have been one or two on rare occasions, but otherwise he was an exceptionally safe fielder, whether in the slips or at cover, and he had a rocket arm. People talk about Jadeja's throwing arm, but Sachin paaji's was even more powerful," Kaif said on JioHotstar.
Raina also credited the strong emphasis on fielding during his early days in Uttar Pradesh for shaping him into one of India's best fielders. He revealed that players had to earn their place in the playing XI through their fielding standards.
"We had created a culture of fielding. All the players used to come in half an hour early because fielding was always the first part of our training sessions. It wasn't like many fielding sessions today, where you take a few catches and feel the job is done. Back then, we would practise high catches separately, do ground fielding separately, slip catches separately and parallel catches. We would also place a single stump in the middle. As Kaif bhai was always our UP captain, he used to say, 'You'll only make the playing XI if you hit the stump with a direct throw."
The former India all-rounder also spoke about learning from some of the best fielders of his generation.
"It's always special to be appreciated by Jonty Rhodes, who has always been our idol. In UP, I learned so much from Kaif bhai and otherwise, Yuvraj Singh, because they used to field at point and cover, while I stayed at mid-off. In all the matches we played for India together, we never let the ball go past us," Raina concluded.
For the unversed, the trio of Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, and Mohammad Kaif are often credited for changing the standards of fielding in Indian cricket during their playing days.
