India were always the favourites to win the T20 World Cup this year as they had not lost a single bilateral series in the last two years in the lead-up to the mega event. But their fielding was below par, and midway through the tournament, their catching efficiency was the worst among the top teams. While the numbers didn’t change much even after the World Cup concluded, the Indian players took some mindboggling catches that turned crucial matches in their favour.
Then what changed suddenly? India skipper Suryakumar Yadav has revealed that the fielding coach T Dilip introduced a Rs 10000 prize money for the best fielder in practice and this trick improved the team’s catching eventually in the game.
“Axarโs catch in the semi-final โ similar to mine in 2024, just higher stakes. I was standing on the side and sprinted the moment he took it. A pressure situation that completely changed the course of the game. And the people working behind the scenes โ fielding coach T Dilip introduced a โน10,000 prize for the best fielder in practice,” Surya said while speaking to the Indian Express.ย
Axar Patel’s catches and a stunning fielding effort in the boundary to dismiss Will Jacks helped India win the semifinal against England.
Surya says there is no problem with Narendra Modi Stadium
Suryakumar Yadav also addressed the Narendra Modi Stadium curse that was widely mentioned, especially on social media, after India’s loss to Australia in the ODI World Cup final in 2023. Opening up on the same, the Indian skipper stated that the team has debunked that theory too, proving that there was no problem with the stadium.
“People were saying India donโt win in Ahmedabad โ this after the 2023 final. But look at it now. Weโve won there, in that same stadium. Now we know thereโs no problem with the stadium.ย When youโre playing in your home country, the pressure on any home team is enormous. You meet everyone at the hotel, at the airport โ the security staff scanning your bags will say, โSir, all the best, win the Cup.โ We tried to cut out the outside noise, wear headphones.
“There were players addicted to social media who made the decision themselves, midway through the tournament, to stop. Thatโs a difficult thing for a 25 or 26-year-old of this generation. We kept the TV switched off in the dressing room. We tried not to follow other game,” Surya added.
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