While that moment of brilliance did not overshadow South Africa’s disappointing exit from the World Cup, the athleticism and remarkable effort from Rhodes changed the way fielding was perceived by loyal cricket fans, in addition to pushing the point position on a pedestal.
Little less than 18 years after that mesmerising moment, Rhodes will be involved in his continuous attempt of sharing his trade secrets with cricketers in India, and is all set to assume the role of a fielding coach with the Kings XI Punjab for IPL 2020.
Having worked with the Mumbai Indians for nine seasons, Rhodes will train the likes of Glenn Maxwell, KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal among others at the KXIP and will hope to form a title-winning partnership with head coach Anil Kumble.
Also see – IPL 2020 Teams
Speaking at the Global Sports Injury Conclave by Dr Dayal Foundation, Rhodes reminisced his magical moment from the 1992 World Cup and also stressed on the importance of youngsters needing to maintain their rhythm throughout the year and more.
Post retirement, Rhodes has poured his heart and soul in training and backing youngsters to come good in the IPL and domestic cricket. He emphasises on how players need to keep away from glamour and instead focus on the job at hand.
While many know AB de Villiers’ feats across various sporting disciplines for South Africa, it is interesting to note that Rhodes was a part of South Africa’s 1992 Olympics hockey squad that unfortunately did not make the tournament and was also called up for the 1996 squad, but had to miss out owing to an injury.
With many international teams opting to play some football or other warm-up games to get their adrenaline pumping, Rhodes believes that playing multiple sports certainly gives the cricket players an added benefit.
A fielding coach for over a decade now, Rhodes is a firm supporter of players getting into shape way ahead of the IPL, such that they are ready to tackle the challenges that come their way in the matches. However, he has often had to deal with a minor roadblock - the team physiotherapist.
Yet, that’s not where the problem ends. After the culmination of every season, the 50-year-old feels that the players let go of the intensity in training and the whole cycle repeats again.
A massive contributor Indian cricket, Rhodes finishes off by claiming that he has begun the process of passing on his wisdom to the coaches, who will hopefully give their best to inject the intensity in the players all through the year.
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