Q&A for How to Be a Good Wicketkeeper

Work on your speed and agility to be a good diving keeper, and practice with a friend. Have your friend throw balls to your left and right to practice diving.

Get good rest and eat a well-balanced diet.

The best thing for a wicket keeper (or any close infielder) is that you must, on every ball, always anticipate that the ball will come through to you. Keep your eyes peeled on the ball.

If you want to 'join' you can just visit the BCCI office and tell them that you want to join the team. If you want to 'play' on the Indian team, you have to practice hard. You will need to be selected in the state team first.

A fast bowl generally spins less, so be in the line of ball but also be aware of the air swing. A fast bowl bounces less, so try to stand low. If the bowl bounces very close to you, then don't hesitate to use your pad to stop it.

Yes, wicketkeeper is an important part in the game of cricket as he or she is the backbone of fielding.

As soon as you know that you misfielded, take a quick glance at the runners. Do this to find out if there is a chance of a run-out, etc. This also tells us if we should throw the ball after we get it or not. Then, obviously, field the ball, and play on!

Wearing a helmet against spinners, as generally they bounce more, and you are closer to the stumps.

Standing up to the spinners is the most difficult one, as it has 10x more chances that the ball might slip away, and you have minimal chances for attempting a dive or sticking out your leg or any body part in case you miss the ball even for a fraction of a second.

Practice makes perfect. Slip practice in on weekends, after training, in your free time or early in the morning. Improve your strength, agility, stamina, reaction time, catching, batting (because every good wicky is always a good batter), and everything else a good wicky needs. After a while, your practice will pay off, and you might be selected for the local rep team. If you continue training hard and eating healthy before and after the season, one day, the state selector might select you.

Keep your eyesight only on the ball.

Yes, Wicketkeepers do wear abdominal guards.

Practice as much as you can and join a team in your area.

It sounds to me like your reflexes and reactions aren't quick enough to react to the ball. Practice your reflexes by having your back to the wall, throwing a ball behind you and spinning round to catch it again. This will help your reflexes. Also, tell your cricket coach about this and he will help you with more in-depth practice.

If you get a shot at head level, try to hit it backward, or hit it toward your leg side. If it is too high or you think you don't have enough practice to hit the ball, leave it.

Squats, pushups, and running would all be beneficial for honing your skills and building up your stamina. Also, practice catching in a crouched position.

Take a ping pong ball and throw it hard against a wall, catching it on the rebound with your keeping gloves.

You just have to buy a helmet that fits comfortably on your head and doesn't block your vision. Before purchasing a helmet, test out the way it feels at different angles and viewpoints to determine if it will block your line of sight for high balls.

Yes. It is mandatory to wear a helmet when a fast bowler is bowling, due to obvious safety reasons.

Take a crouching position where you bend your legs completely and sit in that position, keeping your hands touching the ground. Assume that every ball is going to be missed by the batsman.

Stand as far away as you can without the ball bouncing twice before it gets to you, as that makes it even harder. Get good inners and good gloves, because that will make the impact of the ball softer.

Your head should be above your knees at all times, hands out, and a straight back. It is known as the Z position.

At a lower level, standing behind the wicket would be easier and there is less room for error, but the higher levels usually stand in front of the wicket, though that is very difficult.

Just concentrate on the ball and try to improve your skills through practice.

Judge the bounce of the ball, judge the pace, have your hands ready to catch, and let the ball come to you.

I would recommend getting a group of fielders together to form a circle. Stand in the middle and have the fielders throw a ball at you from random directions without warning. Eventually you will learn to follow the ball more closely.

A tape ball might be perfect: it spins a lot and is very light.

Get used to diving and first practice diving on soft surfaces such as mattresses or gym mats. Then, get a feel for what it is like to dive on the field. Practice by having someone toss slow balls in front of you to dive for. (Don't dive on surfaces like concrete or stone, as you will get hurt!). Build confidence by practicing diving and fielding drills. Do not think that diving is the best way to field a ball. Unnecessary dives can lead to misfields and extra runs. It is significantly harder to stop a diving misfield then a standing misfield. If you are not comfortable with diving, don't worry you can still field well and not dive.

I would advise that unless you are very confident, do not stand close to the stumps. You will occasionally get hit and it will hurt, so know what you are doing before you come in close. Predict where the bowler often bowls and talk to the bowler on his lines so can know where he wants to bowl. Try to set a field where there is a man at long stop or deep fine leg in case you do miss. I would suggest staying 2-3 meters away as you risk giving runs away just for a tiny chance of stumpings or catches.

Stand behind the wicket so that if it does not hit the stumps, you can catch it and get the batsman out. Bend your knees a little.