From godfather to grandfather: Rhodes marvels at modern fielding

NEW DELHI, May 1 : Jonty Rhodes, the man who made fielding fashionable, admits he is feeling his age as the agile boundary work of today's cricketers has taken the craft to a new level.

The image of an airborne Rhodes effecting a run-out at the 1992 World Cup once defined athletic fielding, but he now watches in wonder as players routinely defy physics at the rope, tossing balls to teammates mid-flight before tumbling over the boundary.

Rhodes glamorised fielding during his 11 years in international cricket, but the South African is awestruck by the current level of athleticism, especially in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL).

“For a long time, I felt like the godfather of fielding. Nowadays, I definitely feel like the grandfather,” the 56-year-old quipped in a Zoom interview with Reuters.

"The level of fielding has just gone through the roof. The evolution of fielding has been the boundary riding, and protecting the boundary."

"I keep getting told ‘Jonty, no one can touch you’, but I never left the circle," said Rhodes, whose formidable presence at backward point unnerved most batters of his era.

With batters expanding their range and bowlers their skillsets, Rhodes said fielding's evolution was inevitable.

Rhodes credited West Indian Kieron Pollard for pioneering the relay catch technique, where deep fielders toss the ball before crossing the boundary rope for a teammate to take it, or return to collect it themselves.

"We see it as routine, but the guys put in a lot of practice. It's the sexy part of fielding, let's face it, and everybody wants to be involved because it's on the highlight reels and everyone mentions it."

FIELDING IN T20 ERA

Rhodes, who has worked with several IPL franchises as a fielding coach, said he ran