World Cup: Fielding like a dream, Team India a stunner

There was something unusual in the Melbourne air the other night. On an evening of several stirring deeds from India's cricketers, the most striking came from a pair of fast bowlers. And while it was with ball in hand, it was also not with ball in hand, if you get what I am saying.For the second time in as many games at the World Cup, Mohammed Shami spearheaded the Indian pace attack with aplomb. Pacy and skiddy and swingy, he kept hassling South Africa's batsmen; Umesh Yadav hustled them into mistakes without commensurate luck, and Mohit Sharma showed how far he has come in international cricket by ensuring that the pressure built up by his senior colleagues wasn't released.

All this, after Shikhar Dhawan had crafted a beautiful century and Ajinkya Rahane had produced the innings of the match, subliminal timing and wonderful hand-eye stuff. And yet, two slices of action relegated everything else to the background.Act One: AB de Villiers, fleet of foot, an all-round athlete blessed with speed and balance and the ability to judge runs beautifully, chops Ravindra Jadeja behind point, hares down for the first run, turns almost on the run and hurries back for the second. There, nearly there. But wait. Mohit has sprinted to his left from sweeper cover, swooped on the ball like a vulture on its prey, and fired a return back to Mahendra Singh Dhoni, flat and right on top of the sticks. Dhoni's hands, moving forward all the time, flick off the bails. The skipper is jubilant, animated. The rest swarm around Mohit as the third umpire reviews the replays. Out, flashes the giant screen, de Villiers scarcely able to believe his eyes.De Villiers's potential to alter the course of a game is already the stuff of legend. He and Faf du Plessis had just started to subtly transfer the pressure back on India, their third-wicket stand worth 67 in 74 and looking good for many more until that fateful delivery. Until Mohit intervened.As did Umesh, some 45 minutes later, in Act Two. By now, South Africa's goose appeared well and truly cooked. They were 153 for 5 chasing 308. The top lopped off, the middle gone. Only David Miller, centurion in the previous game against Zimbabwe, remained of the specialist batsmen. Miller's exploits in the IPL in particular meant India couldn't afford to relax, not for a second, however impossible the task at hand might have been.So Miller sweeps R Ashwin to long-leg, like he had more than once that evening. He sprang off his knees, completed the first and rushed back for the second. By then, Umesh had run across to his left and done a Mohit - flat, hard, straight, accurate. Dhoni whips off the bails again, Suresh Raina from slip begins the celebratory sprint towards the fielder. Out, again.If it were Raina himself, or Virat Kohli, or Ajinkya Rahane, or Jadeja, or Rohit Sharma, or Shikhar Dhawan - now, that in itself is a long list - involved in those run outs, it would have been excellent without being extraordinary. That two Indian pace bowlers facilitated such dismissals was what made it notable. India traditionally haven't been the best fielding unit, their pacers even less inclined towards diving etc. Now, hasn't that changed?It was at the Champions Trophy in June 2013 that India's fielding began to be spoken about first - with surprise, with respect, with even a little bit of awe. Connoisseurs used to seeing leisurely strolls across the outfield and twos being converted into threes were shaken out of the reverie as young India, electric heels and with nary a thought for the laundry bill, launched itself across beautifully manicured outfields. Suddenly, even if the process was anything but sudden, India's weakest discipline had become the strongest suit. The batting depends on the pitch, the opposition; ditto the bowling. But the fielding - it depends on how badly you want the ball, on how desperate you are to control the controllables, so to say.Consider the pace attack at the 2011 World Cup when India won the tournament. Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra and Munaf Patel, none of whom will threaten the 'athletic' category. The only exception was S Sreesanth, whatever else his other shenanigans might be. Then consider a few others - Sachin Tendulkar, towards the end of his career. Virender Sehwag. Gautam Gambhir, him of the quick feet but poor throw. Yuvraj Singh, once outstanding but now a pale shadow of the tiger that prowled point. India perhaps started -15 on the field.Not anymore. The circle is patrolled with the ferocity of a mother lioness guarding her cubs. The outfield is manned by swift men with excellent throwing arms. Dhoni doesn't any longer have to 'hide' fielders - okay, so maybe Ashwin from time to time, though the offspinner himself has upped his fielding a notch or two - or swap them around, directing traffic like a traffic policeman. He can rest assured in the knowledge that almost every single member of his side is a very good fielder, that if anything, India start +10 at least on the park.Shami, Yadav, Mohit, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Stuart Binny form the Indian pace/medium pace attack. Not one of them is a weak link in the field. After Sunday and the de Villiers-Miller double, it is debatable if anyone will take Indian arms from the outfield lightly. Especially considering these throws emanated from the MCG outfield, vast expanses where it is so easy to feel lost and isolated from the action.There is a genuine sense of pride and enjoyment in fielding that flows from the inner ring outwards. You sense that there is a healthy competition between the men in the circle. Some of them love playing to the galleries, throwing in a dive when not required, but I suppose a little bit of showboating is alright so long as it doesn't come at a cost. Raina and Kohli are the most celebrated but Rahane is the most electrifying. Jadeja and Rohit and Dhawan don't pale in comparison. Crucially, every smart save in the infield is applauded as the rest converge on the man who has made the stop. I am not sure if they keep scores, but if they do, it will be interesting to see who tops the 'runs saved' chart.Improved infrastructure, better outfields and heightened fitness levels are contributing factors for India's enhanced fielding standards, but essentially, the fire must burn from within. Fielding is no longer just a chore; watching these boys at practice, wolfishly hunting down balls thrown at them by R Sridhar, the fielding coach, and taking hundreds of catches, you don't catch a single word of complaint. Not even the odd expletive muttered under the breath. There is a genuine desire to get better and stay better. India's young guns are sick and tired, it would seem, of watching the de Villiers and the McCullums, the Warners and the Guptills take away all the fielding plaudits.