DHONI WILL BE AT HIS BEST SOON: NIXON
Hyderabad, Sepr 22: A wicketkeeper is arguably the busiest player on the cricket field, mentally and physically agile for every single ball. Add to that the pressure of having to score runs too to justify one's selection in any team. A tough ask that requires a tough sportsman.
Adam Gilchrist was the pioneer and now we have the likes of Kumar Sangakkara and MS Dhoni who have taken over the baton. We asked Leicestershire’s legend Paul Nixon, serving his side behind the stumps for 23 years now, to rate these few good men in terms of their keeping technique and here's what he had to say.
On Adam Gilchrist
Gilly's gone past his best now as far as his keeping is concerned. He can win games with the bat and he is an amazing cricketer. Everyone wants to watch him. He changed Test cricket when coming in to bat at No. 6 he played like it were a T20 game. Gilchrist has taken some fantastic catches diving around to the likes of Brett Lee and Glenn McGrath but isn’t brilliant when standing up to the stumps [any more].
On Kumar Sangakkara
When it comes to wicketkeeper-batsmen, you don't need to look further than Kumar Sangakkara. He is excellent when standing up to the stumps against spinners and medium pacers. Plus, he wins matches with the bat and is a very clever batsman in the middle order. Dealing with the deliveries bowled by [Muttiah] Muralitharan that turn by a metre on either side is not a joke. You need special skills and technique for that.
On MS Dhoni
MS Dhoni is a great man, a proud man. Most of the [Indian] players have had a break at some point but he's been going non-stop. His hands have been very, very sore since a long time. I can see it in the way he catches the ball – he [moves his hands towards the ball instead of taking the ball] a great deal. And when a keeper does that, it means his hands are sore. But he is a proud leader of his team and wants to keep playing for India. And I’m sure he’ll get back to his best soon.
On England's 31-year-old keeper James Foster
He is the best wicketkeeper in the world.
On Craig Kieswetter
He needs to work on his keeping skills. He’s a destructive batsman and wants to be like Gilchrist. And I think he has put himself in the right place to do that now.
On keeping wicket in varying conditions
England is a hard place to keep wicket as the ball wobbles around after going past the bat. On the slow tracks in India, you have to stand very close even to the seamers. You have to put your weight forward, have to have sharp feet and stay low.
Australia is a dream for keepers. You stand back and it takes an eternity for the ball to come to you and you have enough time to move your feet and take those flying catches.
On fitness being an area of prime focus for wicketkeepers
Everyone has to work out very specifically. Wicketkeepers have to have very strong legs and hands. You need to do a lot of squats, lunges and plyometric exercises.
On future plans
I'm bringing up a cricket coaching project soon which will have everything about wicketkeeping.
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