Dilip’s Direct-Hit Drills Aim to Elevate India’s Fielding Performance
DUBAI
As the Asia Cup 2025 gets underway, Team India has intensified its preparations with a strong emphasis on high-intensity fielding drills. Under the guidance of fielding coach T Dilip, players have been divided into groups to practice direct hits at the stumps, an approach aimed at boosting India’s fielding impact in the tournament.
India will open their campaign against hosts UAE on September 10 in Dubai, followed by a much-anticipated clash against Pakistan on September 14. Their final group-stage game will be against Oman on September 19 in Abu Dhabi. With the schedule packed and competition stiff, Dilip underlined the importance of fielding as a game-changer in T20 cricket. We have to earn a couple of wickets ourselves as fielders, apart from bowlers. The best way is to get some direct hits, he said in a BCCI-released video.
Skipper Suryakumar Yadav echoed the sentiment, calling fielding the foundation of the team’s energy. If we want to be the fittest team leading into the World Cup, fielding is one area we must focus on. Energy on the ground should come from the fielding unit, he stressed.
The Asia Cup format features a Super 4 stage beginning September 20, with matches in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The final will be held in Dubai on September 28. India’s squad includes Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Shubman Gill (vice-captain), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, and others.
