As the rest of the team celebrated India's first Test win outside the sub-continent in 15 years, coach John Wright had an extra reason to wear a satisfied look.

Wright, who has always stressed on improving the fielding and the fitness of the players, was very content with the team's performance in the first Test. "Only when you are fielding, you can see if there is team spirit in a unit," Wright said.

The Indians had a lot to cheer about in terms of their fielding performance in the Bulawayo Test. They took some outstanding catches and were generally very agile in the field.

Sadagopan Ramesh had a hand in two such dismissals, the critical wickets of Guy Whittall and Andy Flower. Both were brilliant catches. Here was a man who is fighting for his Test place and only a couple of hours before was down on the bench in the dressing room getting treatment for diarrhea. He didn't brood or clutch his stomach in pain. He wanted to contribute badly and did so in a rousing fashion.

Similar was the case with Rahul Dravid. The vice-captain went into the match with his dislocated finger not quite fully mended. He made 44 attractive runs and effected the run-out of Grant Flower besides taking a catch.

The run-out made a lot of difference to the target set for the Indians. It was a smart pick up and direct throw at the striker's end which brought Grant Flower's innings of 71 to a frustrating end.

One must also not forget Shiv Sunder Das whose diving catch at forward short leg off Brian Murphy was as good as any seen in this match.

Wright said the hard work put in by the team was paying off. "This hasn't happened overnight. It is a gradual process and I think it all started in the short camp before the series against Australia," he said.

Wright remembers two instances to back his impression. "The catch off Jason Gillespie in the Chennai Test (against Australia) and the one by Zaheer Khan in the same match had a vital bearing on the match."

A normal practice session of Indians these days involves hundreds of catches taken in the outfield and in the slips. It is particularly tiring for the men in the slips as slashing cuts are made in their direction and they have to catch scores of them. It is this hard work which is being reflected on the field these days.

Batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar too doesn't remember when was the last time the Indians caught as well as they did in the Bulawayo Test. "Some of the catches were outstanding. They were as good as any you would see on a cricket field," said Tendulkar.

The improvement is noticeable even in those players who have the reputation of being average fielders. The manner in which Ashish Nehra, for example caught catches at practice, Wright's forehead was quite creased. "But he was quite good in the Test match," Wright said. "He also batted very sensibly in raising 38 runs for the last wicket, trying to give strike to Harbhajan all the time."

This work ethic also extends to running between the wickets. VVS Laxman, despite his pyrotechnics with the bat, is not quite everyone's idea of a perfect runner between the wickets. In the first game against Zimbabwe A at Mutare, Laxman did not respond to a call for a third run by striker Das in time. Das was then dismissed off the very next ball.

The team management was furious. Laxman was made to run a few laps of the ground with bat raised overhead. The penalty is swift and severe at times.

Harbhajan Singh, on this tour, has been plagued by a corn in the sole of his left leg. It is very painful and as Harbhajan says, whenever he has to sprint, it hurts immensely. In Mutare, whenever he would complete a lap at the ground, he would look at Wright. If he was looking for any sympathy or break from the coach, it was not forthcoming. He kept doing the laps till "it became so warm I forgot the pain," Harbhajan said. "At the end of the day, you realise whatever he (Wright) is doing is only for the good of all of us cricketers."

Wright says one of the benefits of training hard is you are mentally strong. "If you are strong there," Wright said pointing a finger on the head, "you can handle stress, tiredness and fatigue much better."

© PTI