KPL 2018: Dean Jones masterclass for Bijapur Bulls players in Hubballi
Dean Jones, one of Australia’s great fielders, spent about 20 minutes with the lads and particularly touched on the slip catching process, which given India’s slip catching woes these days
FollowHubballi: The rains that delayed the start of play in the Bijapur Bulls-Belagavi Panthers Karnataka Premier League (KPL) 2018 game here on Tuesday (August 21) at the Rajnagar Stadium came as a blessing for some of the players.
Taking advantage of former Australian player Dean Jones’ presence in the middle, the Bijapur Bulls players gathered to hear him share some of his vast knowledge. Jones is part of the Star Sports TV commentary team for KPL.
Also read: KPL 2018 schedule
Jones, one of Australia’s great fielders, spent about 20 minutes with the lads and particularly touched on the slip catching process, which given India’s slip catching woes these days (with the current Test at Trent Bridge being an exception), was worth its weight in gold.
Jones shared tips on how to follow the ball from the bowlers’ hand, something most coaches too would advise but he also added that the fielders, say at point and cover too, should do the same.
By watching the bowler’s hand there’s a chance of anticipating if the ball would be pitched up or short and that would allow the respective fielder to get that extra edge, was Jones’ advice.
Then turning to batting, Jones spoke to the batsmen about the importance of knowing what their good length was, that is he wanted each batsman to identify and mentally mark his good length depending on his individual height. His point being that one must know his good length not the good length.
You can bet the lads were all ears. It was indeed time well spent.
Later, the match was abandoned without a ball bowled.
