Cricket
Cricket
Four important wicketkeeping skills in cricket, and how to improve them
Tamil Nadu wicketkeeper Narayan Jagadeesan explains four skills that are essential for wicketkeeping and a few drills that can help improve them.
Wicketkeeping is one of the most specialized jobs on the cricket field.
A wicketkeeper needs to be alert for every single ball of the innings, adapt to the pace and lengths of the bowlers, and stand tall in all weather conditions while wearing heavy gear.
Narayan Jagadeesan is one of India’s upcoming wicketkeepers who plays for the Tamil Nadu state team and the Chennai team in India’s biggest T20 franchise league.
He has idolized famed wicketkeepers Adam Gilchrist, Wriddhiman Saha and Mark Boucher to improve on his game and swears by training techniques to improve on his skills. He puts aside at least 30 minutes in every team training session to work personally on his keeping skills.
Here he lists the most important skills for wicketkeeping and how to improve on them.
01
Reflexes
Quick reflexes are one of the most important skills for wicketkeepers
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Wicketkeepers need to have excellent hand-eye coordination and spatial awareness. By working on these skills, a keeper will be able to react quickly on the field, and there’s nothing more important than reactions in wicketkeeping.
Jagadeesan says: “Reflexes are the most important aspect that you need to train. Technique develops with the basic drills and the positioning also gets better as the basics become stronger. But reflexes are something that need to be worked on constantly.”
Drills to try: Jagadeesan suggests a drill with a golf ball; have a coach or training partner throw a golf ball against a wall and the wicketkeeper standing in front of the wall tries to catch the golf ball immediately. The golf ball will spring off the wall at different angles, which will test and improve the reflexes of the wicketkeeper.
02
Footwork
Feet movement helps wicketkeepers collect hard-to-reach balls
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In order to cover a larger area behind the stumps, wicketkeepers need to have good footwork. Keeping your feet moving will help you get into good positions to catch manoeuvre if a ball has deviated from its path, or dive towards a ball if needed. Footwork is also important when a spinner is bowling on a turning track, since a keeper won’t always be able to anticipate the spin on the ball.
Jagadeesan says: “Feet movement is one of the most important skills for a keeper. It makes a huge difference, especially when you have to keep in longer formats. Without proper footwork, everything goes out of balance — be it your glove work or positioning.”
Drills to try: Jagadeesan suggests the ‘goalkeeper’ exercise as the best drill to improve your footwork. Set up a ‘goal’ with training cones and the wicketkeeper performs a similar role as a football or hockey goalkeeper – prevent the ball from going into the goal.
03
Glove work
Handling the ball and glove work are important for wicketkeepers
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Unsurprisingly a wicketkeeper is only as good as their ability with their hands; more specifically, how they handle the ball when it lands in their gloves.
Jagadeesan says: “I try to focus on having a ‘good cup’ and receiving the ball with soft hands.”
Drills to try: He suggests a drill with tennis balls and a tennis racquet. Have a coach or training partner hit the tennis ball towards you with the racquet. Start off with the ball coming at you thigh-high, then try variations in heights. Also perform the drill with and without gloves for different difficulty. And finally, keep changing the distance between the training partner and the wicketkeeper for further variation.
04
Deflection
Keepers need to be ready for nicks and edges
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Jagadeesan focuses on honing his skills against balls that have some deflection before they settle in his gloves. Flicks and edges off the bat or pads are common in the sport, and it is important for the keeper to replicate such scenarios during training sessions.
Jagadeesan says: “I personally try to keep to a lot of deliveries that have got some deflection before catching the ball. I also practice keeping with something as an ‘obstruction’ to mimic a game-time blind spot.”
Drills to try: One drill involves the wicketkeeper standing behind an obstacle so they can’t see where the ball has pitched. Another drill can be to have a training partner or coach do throwdowns at an object (like the swell/spine of a cricket bat) so it takes a deflection before the wicketkeeper has to catch it. For a tougher variation to the same drill, the training partner can turn their wrists instead of doing a straight throwdown, so the deflection becomes harder to predict.
