‘Mera Naam Jonty Rhodes’: Ex-Proteas Cricketer Reacts After Not Being Named India’s Fielding Coach

Jonty Rhodes, widely regarded as the best fielder ever in the sport of cricket, opens up about not being named the new Team India fielding coach in hilarious manner.

Jonty Rhodes, the former South African cricketer and widely regarded as the best-ever fielder cricket has ever seen, recently expressed his surprise on not being named the fielding coach of the Indian cricket team. Notably, after Gautam Gambhir assumed the role of Team India head coach after Rahul Dravid’s tenure ended, there were widespread media reports claiming Rhodes was going to be the next fielding coach for the Men in Blue, replacing T Dilip.

Gautam Gambhir was allowed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to pick his own men for the rest of the support staff and the former India batter chose Abhishek Nayar and Ryan ten Doeschate as assistant coaches, and Morne Morkel as the bowling coach, all of whom Gambhir had previously worked with in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The BCCI met all these demands. However, there were speculations that Gambhir also wanted Rhodes as the fielding coach, replacing T Dilip; but the BCCI chose to continue with Dilip instead as they did not want an international coach.

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Jonty Rhodes Surprised Over Not Being Named As Team India Fielding Coach

In a recent appearance on the podcast Aleena Dissects on YouTube, Jonty Rhodes was asked whether it was true that Gautam Gambhir had recommended him for the position of India's fielding coach, but the board chose not to proceed with the suggestion. Rhodes humorously addressed the topic, responding to his rejection and showcasing his connection to India by introducing himself in Hindi.

“Yeah! Can you believe it? I mean, they didn't want an international coach, and I'm so local. I mean, mera naam Jonty Rhodes! (I'm Jonty Rhodes) Come on. I'm based in Goa. Maybe because I'm based in Goa. Maybe I need to be in a metro (city),” the South African said

Rhodes then praised the impact of India's recent fielding coaches R Sridhar and T Dilip, attributing much of India's fielding improvement to leadership from MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli.

“I've taken my hats off to the last two Indian fielding coaches. And it comes from captaincy. Under Dhoni… he had a lot of senior guys, and he just showed his physical ability, he still does at the end of his IPL career. Running between the wickets.... amazing, and he's 40. It's incredible. He certainly showed, just through his example, the importance of fitness and strength,” said Rhodes.

“Then Virat Kohli took over, and it was a part of the selection criteria. If you don't pass the fitness standards, it doesn't matter how good you are. Everybody was treated equally, and it took India to becoming a good fielding team,” he added.