At 37, Kohli remains one of India’s most reliable fielders, and former fielding coach T Dilip believes the biggest value he brings to the field is the effect his intensity has on everyone around him.
Kohli returned to India’s ODI side for the recent tour of England and looked as sharp as ever in the field. He was regularly involved in the action, diving, chasing the ball and staying switched on even when the play moved away from him.
That has been a defining feature of his fielding career. Kohli was never spoken of in the same breath as the naturally gifted fielders India produced in the past, such as Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif or the athletic Jonty Rhodes. But he built his reputation through fitness, anticipation and, above all, an unwillingness to switch off.
The numbers underline his longevity in the field.
As a non-wicketkeeper, Kohli has 344 dismissals for India across formats, nine more than Rahul Dravid. In ODIs, the only international format he continues to play, he has taken 169 catches – the most by an Indian fielder. He is 13 ahead of Mohammad Azharuddin, who was regarded as one of the finest fielders of his generation.
For Dilip, however, Kohli’s influence cannot be measured by numbers alone.
“When it comes to Virat Kohli, intensity is non-negotiable. You have seen him in the powerplay, how he is as a batsman, whether at cover or short mid-wicket, with his reflexes and with his dives, is admirable. Even in the last series, he was putting in those dives and was sharp, always at you all the time,” Dilip told JioStar. .
“Even at this juncture of his career, he runs from long-on to long-on at either end during the death overs, and he is the first one to run out of the circle when the field is spread, and that’s a fabulous thing to do for the team.
“But what impressed me more is not just the actions, what he does when the ball is at him, but also when the ball is not near him, he wants the ball in his hands.
“With Virat Kohli, there is not much difference between him in a practice session and a match, because it’s not just Virat; it’s the five other players who have stretched their limits when they are fielding with Virat Kohli. That’s the influence he brings into the group.”
Dilip’s comments offer an insight into why Kohli’s fielding has remained such a significant part of his contribution even as he has moved into the latter stages of his international career.
BEST FIELDER AWARD
The former India fielding coach, whose tenure with the team ended after the England tour, was also behind one of India’s most recognisable dressing-room traditions in recent years – the Best Fielder Medal. The award was introduced in 2023 to recognise the overall impact of a player’s fielding rather than simply rewarding a spectacular catch.
The idea was to ensure that fielding was valued across the team, including by players who might not find themselves in the obvious hotspots.
“What I thought was to recognise the overall impact as a fielder rather than just a spectacular catch. But what it brought in was that all the 11 players on the field, who may not be in the hotspots, had a feeling inside them that, ‘A little contribution would get me that award.’
“That positive competition among the group had started and, automatically, players started to notice even small things while being on the field. They celebrated when their other teammates did something exceptional.
“And that was a huge factor for me because, at the end of the day, the fielding medal is a team award. The players embraced it, fans supported it, and fielding got the recognition it deserved the most.”
The medal became a popular feature of India’s dressing-room celebrations, particularly during the 2023 ODI World Cup, when Dilip used creative ways to announce the winner after matches.
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