Best Indian Fielder of All Time

In rounding off ,i have to say Mhd Kaif .
But in the bigger picture of Indian cricket its Mhd Azzharudin
 
definitely mohd kaif - a super athlete and hardworking cricketer. azhar's fielding depended quite a bit on how much he was paid before the match! ;-)
 
Has to be between Solkar and Kaif

Honourary mentions to Tiger, Azharuddin, Robin Singh, Yuvraj, Jadeja
 
Kaif was the best we ever had. Quicker than Yuvraj but UV's catching and stump hitting capability looked more refined.

Azhar was superb in slips and Eknath Solkar was a freakish close-in fielder. Have heard about his blinders a lot of times

Good to see you, my 9 years young self.

So, in 9 years, I have only been able to add one person in my list that is Jadeja.

Not a great decade of finding good fielders for Indian cricket
 
Team as an overall unit has become much better but we do not have outstanding fielders now except Jadeja, Pandey.
 
In 70s, we had Eknath Solkar.

80s- Kapil Dev

90s- Mohammad Azharuddin, Robin Singh

2000s- Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif, Suresh Raina

2010s- Ravindra Jadeja, Manish Pandey

These are all tier-1 fielders we had. Dravid, Kohli and Pandya are in next tier.
 
Kohli's a great ground fielder but he drops way too many catches to be considered seriously as a fielder. Very embarrassing.
 
In terms of all round fielding, I must say Azhar bhai edges it over even Kaif and Solkar probably? He could field at slips, within the circle, at the boundary line, had a fantastic throwing arm. He was PHENOMENAL everywhere basically.
 
Yuvraj Singh
Kaif
Raina
MSD keeper


These 4 were standout fielders between India and Pakistan’s unfit, laid back men. They revolutionised Indian fielding standards
 
Yuvraj Singh
Kaif
Raina
MSD keeper


These 4 were standout fielders between India and Pakistan’s unfit, laid back men. They revolutionised Indian fielding standards

Agree with the top three, but people like mongia, kirmani were very good glovemen
 
1. Solkar
2. Yuvraj
3. Kaif
4. Azhar
5. Kapil
 
From I see
R. Jadeja > Azharuddin > Kaif > Raina > Yuvi > A. Jadeja > Robin Singh.. And Dravid was excellent at slip.. Yuvi takes lot of diving catch but he also drops simple catches by unnecessary diving..
 
From I see
R. Jadeja > Azharuddin > Kaif > Raina > Yuvi > A. Jadeja > Robin Singh.. And Dravid was excellent at slip.. Yuvi takes lot of diving catch but he also drops simple catches by unnecessary diving..

Azar also dropped easy catches in slips, probably part of match fixing.
 
You don't know how many he dropped.
You don't know how many are difficult or easy.
You just assuming by picking few bad apples which is common to every player.

Actually it's not common, he has a very dubious record for catching.. He often drops catch at slip but yet he prefers there..
 
Actually it's not common, he has a very dubious record for catching.. He often drops catch at slip but yet he prefers there..

What is that dubious record? can you prove with stats.
If he dropped many he wouldn't have placed in top 10 list

Most catches in Test cricket (Top 10)

top10 test catches.jpg
 
He's an outstanding runner, diver, even catcher but he drops dollies. Virat Kohli. Of all the greats. I have seen, I have not known another great nearly as many straight forward catches as Kohli does. Like I said, it's embarrassing and puts to shame all the outstanding work he otherwise does in the field.

Bit too excited for his own good maybe
 
Azar also dropped easy catches in slips, probably part of match fixing.

Kohli better boundary saver for sure. He is one of our quickest ever.

Azhar bhai was genius catcher. Nobody anticipated catches nearly as well as Azhar bhai did.
 
In 70s, we had Eknath Solkar.

80s- Kapil Dev

90s- Mohammad Azharuddin, Robin Singh

2000s- Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif, Suresh Raina

2010s- Ravindra Jadeja, Manish Pandey

These are all tier-1 fielders we had. Dravid, Kohli and Pandya are in next tier.

Kohli is the Kamran Akmal of Slip catching. He is a fantastic ground fielder though but then again are most Indian kids these days with athleticism and fitness. However the fact that Kohli’s catches would have probably helped win us some crucial tests more than his batting even. So no Kohli doesn’t deserve a name in the greatest fielders list.

Currently: Jadeja, Pandya and Manish Pandey.
 
When you say greatest fielder - i'd assume all round natural ability to turn a .25 percent chance into a chance for a catch, runout or save runs in the field any wwhere and everywhere in the field.
My contenders would be
Eknath solkar - close in, Rahul would be pretty close but there was something freaky about Ekkie and the close in catches he took at silly point. Am not sure but possibly he is credited with giving Chandrashekar the nickname of 'Mill Reef' in honour of the horse that won the english derby when india was touring eng in the 70's, but he would hiss 'Cmon Chandra, reef it !' or cmon bowl the 'reefer' whenever he wanted chandra to bowl the quicker one :)...Any ways i digress from the main topic
Slips - I'd go for Rahul - Safe, reliable, took most chances that came his way -so was Azhar who was a super slip fielder as well, kapil took some excellent catches, Sunny took max catches and rarely dropped any, but Rahul edges the others..
Covers, midwicket, 15 yard-30 yard circle - the contenders are Kaif, yuvi, Kapil, srikanth, Robin singh, Ravi jaddu, Azhar kohli and am sure am missing a few - Ghulam parkar was an excellent fielder in the 70's
Its very close between Jaddu, yuvi, kaif and Azhar...but for sheer num of times he has produced runouts out of nowhere-id go for Ravindra jadeja, a gun thrower , hit the stumps numerous occasions - and some unbelievable crazy cathces togo as welll
Outfield - contenders are Kapil - bullet like throw, he always chased & hauled in the
ball which looked boundary borne and rarely dived, and some terrific outfield catches, azhar in younger days also the same, but again Ravi jadeja has taken it to another level. He can sprint and make most 3's into doubtful twos even onthe boundary..and his throwing is diamond crazy bullet....
Overall, I'd go for Ravindra jadeja.....except i am not too sure about his slip catching or at gully - as those are pretty specific fielding positons but I am sure to a guy with natural hunting instincts like him - if placed there, he would make hgis presence felt and shine...
 
What is that dubious record? can you prove with stats.
If he dropped many he wouldn't have placed in top 10 list

Most catches in Test cricket (Top 10)

View attachment 102702

Crikey.....Jinks is right up there....did'nt realize 0.653 is quite shandar that list has a few surprises for me...gobsmacked at VVS, vengy, even blommin Saurav makes thelist...wow...
But yeah- if the last 30 tests are tobe analysed - Kohli has to be the guy who's shelled the max...not that he has not made up by taking other brilliant catches or runouts but we'd have won more if he had held more...
 
What is that dubious record? can you prove with stats.
If he dropped many he wouldn't have placed in top 10 list

Most catches in Test cricket (Top 10)

View attachment 102702

He fields in a position where he gets lots of catches due to India not having any slip fielders. Anyone who watches cricket will realise he is an ordinary fielder. In the Aus setup:
Bancroft
Warner
Smith
Labuschagne
Wade
Burns
Are all significantly better in the ring/slips than Kohli. That is over 60% of people who have batted in our test top 6 recently
 
Now there's sarcasm...:)...
Munaf (capt)
Nehraji (vice capt)
Prasad
Srinath
Ashok malhotra
arun lal
prabhakar
abey kuruvilla
powar
cant think of others...too sleepy where i am...:) feel free to add

Kumble diving awkwardly after the ball has past him will be one of those cricketing memories that will be forever stuck in my head.
 
He fields in a position where he gets lots of catches due to India not having any slip fielders. Anyone who watches cricket will realise he is an ordinary fielder. In the Aus setup:
Bancroft
Warner
Smith
Labuschagne
Wade
Burns
Are all significantly better in the ring/slips than Kohli. That is over 60% of people who have batted in our test top 6 recently

I agree he is average in slips but not overall.
He is very good fielders in ODI's
 
What is that dubious record? can you prove with stats.
If he dropped many he wouldn't have placed in top 10 list

Most catches in Test cricket (Top 10)

View attachment 102702

What kind of logic that? I believe :kakmal still holds the record of most catches by Pak keeper! And we all know how terrible he is (except his first 2-3 years)..
 
My friend actually asked this to Nasser Hussain. His reply was brutal: "not sure, too many donkeys in the side". Apparently he had the biggest smirk on his face as well :))

Having said that it was about 10 years ago, similar time to the 2011 WC when he said the same comments on air around that time.
 
In response to the thread best Indian fielder I've seen is Jadeja. I wish Pakistan had more fielders like him.

Shadab isn't a million miles away though.
 
Azar also dropped easy catches in slips, probably part of match fixing.

I'm not criticizing dropping catches, it's part of the games.. But in Yuvi's case it's mostly due to showing off/unnecessary dive..
 
In response to the thread best Indian fielder I've seen is Jadeja. I wish Pakistan had more fielders like him.

Shadab isn't a million miles away though.

Every team would like to have a fielders like him..
 
He fields in a position where he gets lots of catches due to India not having any slip fielders. Anyone who watches cricket will realise he is an ordinary fielder. In the Aus setup:
Bancroft
Warner
Smith
Labuschagne
Wade
Burns
Are all significantly better in the ring/slips than Kohli. That is over 60% of people who have batted in our test top 6 recently

fielder is not Just about catching in the slips rofl. Then you need a separate criteria for that. I guarantee you jadeja would catch better than any of the players listed including ponting and some other so called greats of the past. Pandya too. Jadeja is far more vital outfield due to his ability to restrict runs, instill that fear factor with his ability to throw with u erring accuracy etc and not to mention his athletic ability to stop runs.

There are so many factors that need be evaluated before judging the best fielder. To me that fielder is definitely not punter. I do agree australia as a whole are an excellent fielding side though. I would say warner is the best fielder of all time for australia.
 
Kumble and Shrinath were still acceptable fielders. Shrinath had a weak throw while Kumble couldnt take blinders but was decent at gully and very good off own bowling.
 
I know you are a King Kohli fan bro but while yes he is a good ground fielder, he hasn’t been average in slips, he has been poor.

Are we deciding best fielders based on only slip fielding?

It should be combination of Athletic + Dive + Ground fielding + Slips +Throw ability
 
In response to the thread best Indian fielder I've seen is Jadeja. I wish Pakistan had more fielders like him.

Shadab isn't a million miles away though.

Shoaib Malik best Pakistani fielder ever?

Among the players I saw, he seemed most natural and enjoying his time in the field.

Young Yoni was good.

Afridi the safest catcher ever. Did he ever drop any :afridi

Have seen little of Shadab, he is very good. The guy seems to be blessed in all 3 facets of the game :23:
 
The other Jadeja also is in the discussion I feel. Yes, Ajay Jadeua. Azhar bhai was leading the field in the 1990s for India with Jaddu and Robin bhai as reliable junior support fielders.
 
For the more experienced posters here, ex cricketers often talk about Tiger and Pauli Umrigar also as among our very fine all round fielders.
 
Kaif and a peak Yuvraj.

When it comes to throws, Jadeja is one of the best in the world atm.
 
I sont know where this Jadeja vs Ponting discussing is going. Two outstanding fielders, one better at slips the other better in the outfield. Otherwise they are as good in everything else. Respect both.

Jadeja is considered by many as the best right now in the world. Faf du Plessis said it on live chat fee months ago, there are others as well.
 
Shoaib Malik best Pakistani fielder ever?

Among the players I saw, he seemed most natural and enjoying his time in the field.

Young Yoni was good.

Afridi the safest catcher ever. Did he ever drop any :afridi

Have seen little of Shadab, he is very good. The guy seems to be blessed in all 3 facets of the game :23:

Shoaib Malik was good but not the best.

In tests, Younis Khan was Pakistan's best fielder. In white ball cricket, I'd say Imran Nazir.

Shadab has exceeded my expectations so far in red ball cricket. I think he needs to spend more time developing his batting because I feel he has more potential with the bat than with the bowl.
 
I sont know where this Jadeja vs Ponting discussing is going. Two outstanding fielders, one better at slips the other better in the outfield. Otherwise they are as good in everything else. Respect both.

Jadeja is considered by many as the best right now in the world. Faf du Plessis said it on live chat fee months ago, there are others as well.

Don’t forget Manish Pandey. He is actually as good as Jadeja or in some cases even better.
 
fielder is not Just about catching in the slips rofl. Then you need a separate criteria for that. I guarantee you jadeja would catch better than any of the players listed including ponting and some other so called greats of the past. Pandya too. Jadeja is far more vital outfield due to his ability to restrict runs, instill that fear factor with his ability to throw with u erring accuracy etc and not to mention his athletic ability to stop runs.

There are so many factors that need be evaluated before judging the best fielder. To me that fielder is definitely not punter. I do agree australia as a whole are an excellent fielding side though. I would say warner is the best fielder of all time for australia.

Saying Warner is the best shows your knowledge. He doesn’t hit the stumps half as much as Ponting and is reasonably mediocre in the slips
Ponting is an ATG slip fielder of Waugh/Chappell/Dravid class. There is absolutely no reason to say that Jadeja would be that good. You need to be proven

In the outfield, Jadeja is better but in the rings Ponting is better. He just created more opportunities through his throwing. His ability to hit the stumps was absolutely uncanny, much more so than Jadeja. There is a 1 hour run out compilation on yt. As a result of this throwing and catching Ponting just takes way more wickets and as such is significantly better as a test fielder. There is maybe a discussion in ODI but Ponting ability to turn a match still gives it to him for me

For me the fact that Ponting is much more versatile and brilliant in more positions means he is just better. Someone like Symonds, ABdV, Sobers etc is more in the conversation than the relatively one dimensional Jadeja
 
Saying Warner is the best shows your knowledge. He doesn’t hit the stumps half as much as Ponting and is reasonably mediocre in the slips
Ponting is an ATG slip fielder of Waugh/Chappell/Dravid class. There is absolutely no reason to say that Jadeja would be that good. You need to be proven

In the outfield, Jadeja is better but in the rings Ponting is better. He just created more opportunities through his throwing. His ability to hit the stumps was absolutely uncanny, much more so than Jadeja. There is a 1 hour run out compilation on yt. As a result of this throwing and catching Ponting just takes way more wickets and as such is significantly better as a test fielder. There is maybe a discussion in ODI but Ponting ability to turn a match still gives it to him for me

For me the fact that Ponting is much more versatile and brilliant in more positions means he is just better. Someone like Symonds, ABdV, Sobers etc is more in the conversation than the relatively one dimensional Jadeja

warnee is far better than ponting in the outfield quite comfortably. lol at symmonds being better than jadeja. That shows your* limited knowledge about fielders in general.

players refuse to run it they see jadeja approaching the ball. 4s become 3s. 3s become 2s or even 1s at times.

Only issue is unlike ponting jadeja doesn't have adequate support from other fielders who are most inolcompetent in the outfield hence jaddu is never given a chance to catch in slips.

For me, jaddu is better than ponting who looked better than he really was by having more athletic personnel to support him.

AbDV is great too but he can't pull of ridiculous catches like jadeja.

Lol if jadeja can catch those absurd balls in the outfield with his ridiculous athletic ability then I guarantee you he would be just as good if not better than punter, abd in the slips.
 
May not belong to the top tier, but Harbhajan and Irfan Pathan were fast runners and had very strong throws.Also good outfield catchers.
 
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Kumble diving awkwardly after the ball has past him will be one of those cricketing memories that will be forever stuck in my head.

And then he screams & abuses whenever someone drops catch of his bowling & even misfields!
 
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Top class fielder much better than pandya
 
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