Rhodes terms Raina as the best Indian fielder

New Delhi: Widely known as the best fielder the game has ever seen, Jonty Rhodes minced no words to name the best Indian fielder as he happily awarded the crown to Suresh Raina.

"Yuvraj Singh and Mohammed Kaif were some of the better fielders around. Virat Kohli, he is ok. But Suresh Raina for me is the best fielder in India.” Jonty said at a function organised by Velammal Vidyalaya here to felicitate the school's achievers in the field of sports.

While the Indian team has seen extraordinary fielders over the years, some of whom Jonty himself mentioned, it is only Raina who reminds him of his younger days.

"He goes for the ball, regardless of whether he thinks he can get it or not. He reminds me a lot of a much younger Jonty Rhodes." the former South African cricketer, who is on the coaching staff of IPL team Mumbai Indians, said. 

To a question if the future of Test cricket was at stake, Rhodes said, "In my opinion it is not Test cricket, but 50- overs cricket that is in trouble. T20 has changed the way the game is played now and Test cricket has become more exciting."

He said T20 cricket has improved the skills of the players in all three departments of the game.

"T20 has brought a change in the manner cricket is played these days. In Test cricket, they play with a lot of freedom now, there is no fear of failure," he said.

"When I was playing in the last century, batsmen used to struggle in the 90s. The nervous nineties they called it. There were several batsmen who got out in the 90s. Now, that is not the case. Sometimes, batsmen reach 100 from 94 with a single shot, a six. The players are very confident these days. I don't think Test cricket is in trouble. In reality, 50-over cricket is in trouble," Rhodes added.

Rhodes, who made a name for himself with his fielding exploits, is associated with TNPL franchise Ruby Trichy Warriors as a mentor.