South African fielding superstar Jonty Rhodes reckons captain fantastic Virat Kohli as a supremely fit athlete, but still believes Suresh Raina as the best fielder in the Indian side.
"Virat Kohli is also very athletic in the field but Suresh Raina is definitely the best," he opined.
The former South African Test and ODI player was in the Capital on Friday to mentor junior players participating in the Indian Junior Players league (IJPl) T-20 Tournament.
Asked whether the BCCI had ever tried to bring him on board to oversee Team India's fielding department, Rhodes said, "No. Not yesterday. Not tomorrow. Not in the past."
He warned the English side which is due to face India in a five-match Test series beginning November 9 in Rajkot about how hard it would be for the visitors to mount a strong challenge against the top-ranked Indian outfit in the longest format of the game.
"The conditions here are demanding and a five-match tour can be harsh on your body. Plus, England play here on the back of a defeat against Bangladesh in Tests. With Indian spinners pulling all the strings in the sub continent, Alastair Cook and Co would find it very difficult to beat India. I don't' think so it would be a 5-0 whitewash for the hosts either. England are a top Test side and we are in for some thrilling cricket for sure," he signed off.
Talking about pink ball being a tool to revive Test cricket, he said, " When T-20 cricket was introduced, people had objections. But look at how it is producing great batsman. Virat Kohli graduated from 20-20 to eventually become a solid Test cricket great. So the longest format of the games needs to be revived for greater fan connection and pink ball is surely a way to do the same as it adds new facet to the game."
On the challenges the bowlers face these days to restrict batsman to moderate score, he said, "I don't think it's just a batters game. I have seen enough T20 cricket in my time to know that if you have good enough skills you can be successful. Everyone thought that spin bowlers will never compete and dominate in T20 cricket but often they are ones who are on top. It's a game that requires a bit of skill and great intensity."