Can keepers become slips fieldsmen?

[luffy]

I know personally i'm a keeper but i can't field in the slips at all, i don't know why i just can't catch in the slips.

 

[The Baconator]

Cos you're used to having big gloves on?

Never had a chance to field in the slips myself as a keeper. I dunno if I'd be much good at it really, but I'd much prefer to be at cover or point anyway.

 

[vic_orthdox]

Yeah, that's one think I've noticed about keepers who get the chance to field. They don't want to be in slips, they'd rather be in the ring having a run around.

 

[SJS]

Keepers can field in first slip without problem. Going wider than that will start exaggerating the difference AND the chances of a keeper being a 'natural' in slips.

Coming to Kaarthick and Dhoni, the question posed is extremely pertinent. Even normally Kaarthick should have been preffered to Dhoni as a keeper but that arguement was shot down by "Dhoni is a much better bat"

Now Kaarthick is in the team not a keeper. Not even as a standby keeper. He is in the team as a middle order batsman. If he is preferable as a batsman to the likes of Laxman and Kaif and even Mongia let alone the Majumdars and Rohit Sharmas of indian cricket he must be a remarkably under valued batsman or the first three are highly over rated and other batsmen in Indian domestic cricket are not worth the bats they posess.

If he is THAT good a batsman, surely HE should be first choice keeper. If Dhoni still has to have a place in the side HE is the one who should play as a batsman. Moind you, I am not saying this because I agree that Kaarthick is such a great batsman but because whats happening right now is a joke and a cruel one for all those batsmen who have been dropped because Kaarthick - the batsman has been suddenly discovered.

Kaartick SHOULD have a place in the Indian side but it should be in the Indian test side and as a wicket keeper.

By the way, those who argue that Kaarthick is playing as a batsman and Dhoni as keeper because Kaarthick is a better fielder seem to forget another fielder of some class, his name is Mohammad Kaif.

 

[Alysum]

It would be funny if Haddin is at 1st slips and when a ball goes towards the keeper Gilly, Haddin you jump in front of him to take the catch

 

[Dasa]

By the way, those who argue that Kaarthick is playing as a batsman and Dhoni as keeper because Kaarthick is a better fielder seem to forget another fielder of some class, his name is Mohammad Kaif.

No-one is arguing anything SJS - it's a fact that Karthik has been playing alongside Dhoni because of the fielding aspect. It's unlikely that during the World Cup (or in any ODIs that aren't just warm-ups for the World Cup), both will play - rather, Karthik will be in the squad as a backup and another proper middle-order batsman will play in his place. He's being given a chance now simply because it's the practical thing to do before such a major tournament and the experimentation should be done now (which is why India is playing these two series' against West Indies and Sri Lanka).

 

[SJS]

No-one is arguing anything SJS - it's a fact that Karthik has been playing alongside Dhoni because of the fielding aspect. It's unlikely that during the World Cup (or in any ODIs that aren't just warm-ups for the World Cup), both will play - rather, Karthik will be in the squad as a backup and another proper middle-order batsman will play in his place. He's being given a chance now simply because it's the practical thing to do before such a major tournament and the experimentation should be done now (which is why India is playing these two series' against West Indies and Sri Lanka).

No. He is NOT in the side as a batsman. Vengsarkar is on record saying he is in the side as a middle order batsman.

Australia are the only other side considering taking a batsman keeper (not keeper batsman) and thats because Gilchrist is opening the batting and they are concerned about his workload. Kaarthick is NOT being taken to relieve Dhoni of his workload. Of course, if Dhoni gets rested in a minor game Kaarthick will keep wickets but that could have been done by Dravid who has kept wickets for years.

 

[Dasa]

OK, my mistake.

 

[adharcric]

Keepers can field in first slip without problem. Going wider than that will start exaggerating the difference AND the chances of a keeper being a 'natural' in slips.

Coming to Kaarthick and Dhoni, the question posed is extremely pertinent. Even normally Kaarthick should have been preffered to Dhoni as a keeper but that arguement was shot down by "Dhoni is a much better bat"

Now Kaarthick is in the team not a keeper. Not even as a standby keeper. He is in the team as a middle order batsman. If he is preferable as a batsman to the likes of Laxman and Kaif and even Mongia let alone the Majumdars and Rohit Sharmas of indian cricket he must be a remarkably under valued batsman or the first three are highly over rated and other batsmen in Indian domestic cricket are not worth the bats they posess.

If he is THAT good a batsman, surely HE should be first choice keeper. If Dhoni still has to have a place in the side HE is the one who should play as a batsman. Moind you, I am not saying this because I agree that Kaarthick is such a great batsman but because whats happening right now is a joke and a cruel one for all those batsmen who have been dropped because Kaarthick - the batsman has been suddenly discovered.

There's no way anyone can or should drop Karthik after the innings he played in SA and the counterattack at Cuttack when the rest capitulated. Mind you, Badrinath is one man who should have been in there by now but that's all. The selectors have made a mess of Kaif in the past but he definitely didn't ask for a call-up after his pathetic showing in the domestic circuit after returning from SA. Reputations are overrated and Karthik is one man I can trust to deliver when the chips are down, even more so than some of our famed batsmen.

Kaartick SHOULD have a place in the Indian side but it should be in the Indian test side and as a wicket keeper.

Karthik should make the test side only as a keeper but he should be in the one-day side as a reserve middle-order batsman/keeper.

By the way, those who argue that Kaarthick is playing as a batsman and Dhoni as keeper because Kaarthick is a better fielder seem to forget another fielder of some class, his name is Mohammad Kaif.

That's not relevant at all. People are comparing Karthik and Dhoni in the field to explain why one is fielding and the other is keeping. Not sure how Kaif comes into the picture.

 

[luffy]

Cos you're used to having big gloves on?

Never had a chance to field in the slips myself as a keeper. I dunno if I'd be much good at it really, but I'd much prefer to be at cover or point anyway.

It might be a reason, i don't know i just can't catch in Slips. I'm a good fielder anywhere else just not Slips.

 

[Perm]

Sanga was fielding at 1st slip in the Test's against New Zealand, he did a bit at square leg too.

 

[C_C]

For those questioning Kaarthik's spot as a specialist bat-***-reserve keeper, consider this :
This is the world cup and we can't take someone with 2-3 matches experience to the world cup.
Even amongst the 'newbies' who have 20-ish match experience, the only other candiate is Raina and Raina's batting just fell away in the recent months.
Laxman can't run between wickets well enough in ODIs and he's a liability in the field.
Kaif- well, Kaif just can't bat.Period.
Kaarthik's role is very much a form pick but even then its a more conservative pick than Raina or any other newbie.
Personally, i'd have liked to see Dinesh Mongia in the side and anyone but 'mr plop-down-the-front-foot-trouble-against-good-pace-bowling-Hayden-clone' Utthapa should be in the side.