T Dilip credits Virat Kohli's intensity for lifting India's fielding during England tour

Former India fielding coach T Dilip told JioStar on August 11, 2026 that Virat Kohli, 37, remained one of India's most reliable fielders and that his intensity affected the side during the recent ODI tour of England. Kohli had returned to India's ODI lineup for that tour and, Dilip said, looked as sharp as ever in the field.

Kohli was not initially spoken of alongside naturally gifted fielders such as Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif or Jonty Rhodes, but he developed a reputation founded on fitness, anticipation and an unwillingness to switch off. Those traits, Dilip argues, have underpinned a long fielding career. As a non-wicketkeeper, Kohli has 344 dismissals for India across formats, nine more than Rahul Dravid, and in ODIs he has taken 169 catches — the most by an Indian fielder, 13 ahead of Mohammad Azharuddin.

Dilip pointed to Kohli’s regular involvement in plays — diving, chasing the ball and remaining alert even when the action moved away from him — as a defining feature. "When it comes to Virat Kohli, intensity is non-negotiable. You have seen him in the powerplay, how he is as a batsman, whether at cover or short mid-wicket, with his reflexes and with his dives, is admirable. Even in the last series, he was putting in those dives and was sharp, always at you all the time," Dilip told JioStar.

Dilip highlighted specific on-field behaviours he found significant. "Even at this juncture of his career, he runs from long-on to long-on at either end during the death overs, and he is the first one to run out of the circle when the field is spread, and that's a fabulous thing to do for the team." He added: "But what impressed me more is not just the actions, what he does when the ball is at him, but also when the ball is not near him, he wants the ball in his hands."

On Kohli’s consistency across settings, Dilip contrasted practice and match intensity. "With Virat Kohli, there is not much difference between him in a practice session and a match, because it's not just Virat; it's the five other players who have stretched their limits when they are fielding with Virat Kohli. That's the influence he brings into the group," he said.

Dilip also described an initiative he introduced to promote fielding standards within the squad. He said the Best Fielder Medal, launched in 2023, was designed "to recognise the overall impact as a fielder rather than just a spectacular catch" and to ensure fielding was valued across all 11 players. "What I thought was to recognise the overall impact as a fielder rather than just a spectacular catch. But what it brought in was that all the 11 players on the field, who may not be in the hotspots, had a feeling inside them that, 'A little contribution would get me that award.' "

He said the medal fostered internal competition and greater attention to small contributions. "That positive competition among the group had started and, automatically, players started to notice even small things while being on the field. They celebrated when their other teammates did something exceptional," Dilip added.

Dilip's tenure with the India team ended after the England tour. "And that was a huge factor for me because, at the end of the day, the fielding medal is a team award. The players embraced it, fans supported it, and fielding got the recognition it deserved the most."