Team India’s fielding, especially in the limited overs format, has been a much-debated topic in recent times. Besides dropped catches, sloppy ground fielding has often led to a decline in the team’s fielding standards.

Fielding coach T. Dilip, however, claimed in Mumbai on Wednesday that the cricketers have improved in terms of successful ratio of direct hits even though some of those didn’t turn into run-outs.

“There are certain areas where we have certainly improved over a period of time. If you look at the number of direct-hit percentage in the T20 World Cup and that one direct hit from KL Rahul changed the course of the match (to dismiss Bangladesh’s Litton Das),” Dilip told the media ahead of the opening ODI on Friday.

“That’s something we are looking at as a group and if you look at it’s overall ratio, even though there are no run outs, the number of times we have hit the stumps has improved a bit,” he added.

Dilip backed Rahul, who did not attend the optional training session, to continue as a wicketkeeper-batsman.

“We all know that KLRahul is a wonderful player. He has a proven record. Even in ODIs, in the middle-order, he has proven enough as a batter. As a wicketkeeper, he gets a lot of balance into the team because he gives advantage.

“Since he is not someone who has picked the gloves just now — he has been doing that since a younger age — he adds a lot of things. Not that difficult to work on his wicket-keeping, apart from refining a few aspects,” Dilip said.

Dilip said that the team is looking to have specific fielding drills and training for specific players so that they are best prepared to field at certain positions.