How a ₹10,000 Practice Reward Helped India Take Stunning Catches in the T20 World Cup

India were one of the favourites to win the T20 World Cup this year because they had not lost a single bilateral series in the last two years before the tournament. However, their fielding was not very good, and during the middle of the tournament, their catching record was the worst among the top teams.

While the numbers didn't change much even after the World Cup concluded, the Indian players took some mindboggling catches that turned crucial matches in their favour. India skipper Suryakumar Yadav has revealed that the fielding coach T Dilip introduced a Rs 10000 prize money for the best fielder in practice and this trick improved the team's catching eventually in the game.

"Axar’s catch in the semi-final, similar to mine in 2024, just higher stakes. I was standing on the side and sprinted the moment he took it. A pressure situation that completely changed the course of the game. And the people working behind the scenes, fielding coach T Dilip introduced a ₹10,000 prize for the best fielder in practice," Surya said while speaking to the Indian Express. 

Team India improved fielding after practice incentive introduced by the coach

Axar Patel’s catches and a brilliant fielding effort near the boundary to dismiss Will Jacks helped India win the semifinal against England national cricket team. Suryakumar Yadav also spoke about the “curse” of Narendra Modi Stadium, which was widely discussed on social media after India lost the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup Final to Australia national cricket team.

Opening up on the same, the Indian skipper stated that the team has debunked that theory too, proving that there was no problem with the stadium.

"People were saying India don’t win in Ahmedabad, this after the 2023 final. But look at it now. We’ve won there, in that same stadium. Now we know there’s no problem with the stadium. When you’re playing in your home country, the pressure on any home team is enormous. You meet everyone at the hotel, at the airport, the security staff scanning your bags will say, “Sir, all the best, win the Cup.” We tried to cut out the outside noise, wear headphones.

"There were players addicted to social media who made the decision themselves, midway through the tournament, to stop. That’s a difficult thing for a 25 or 26-year-old of this generation. We kept the TV switched off in the dressing room. We tried not to follow other game," Surya added.

×

IPL 2026 Schedule: RCB vs SRH to Kick Off Season on March 28 – Check Phase 1 Matches IPL 2026 Schedule: After a delay, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced the schedule for Indian Premier League 2026.

by Shekhar March 11, 2026