Jonty Rhodes at Eden Gardens on Tuesday. Picture by Santosh Ghosh

Calcutta: Former South African batsman and fieldsman extraordinary Jonty Rhodes feels the Australians are now ?very close to playing perfect cricket. They have been dominating the world in every department of the game, including the fielding,? Rhodes said on Tuesday.

He had words of praise for the home team?s fielding, too. ?It?s true that they are trying a lot harder?? But he reminded that the South Africans did drop a couple of catches in the first Test in Kanpur and also dropped one here.

Rhodes sees South African as a bunch of talented cricketers, capable of producing a fine show in the near future, especially in the 2007 World Cup. ?Indians have also improved a lot as a fielding side after the induction of Yuvraj Singh or Mohammed Kaif, but you have to have all the players as good as the duo.? He remarked that Pakistan and Sri Lanka have also raised their fielding standards in the recent times.

About his most memorable moments in this sub-continent, Rhodes recollected the South Africa-West Indies World Cup match in 1996 in Mumbai, in which he took five catches. ?A huge number of spectators were chanting for me, which I will never forget.?

But dismissing Sachin Tendulkar after taking a blinder at point is his best ever catch. ?In an ODI in Durban in 1997, Sachin hit a hard cover drive and I took that catch, which according to me is the best,? stated Rhodes.

On the current Test at the Eden, Rhodes admitted that India are surely in an advantageous position at the moment, but two quick wickets tomorrow morning can push the Indians on the backfoot. ?But Indians are always unpredictable.?

Talking on the modern day cricket, the flamboyant South African doesn?t find any fun now as ?cricket has become a profession and no more a sport?.