India's Fielding Woes Under Scrutiny After Test Defeat: Former Selector Demands Improvement

Former Selector Criticizes India's Fielding After First Test Loss to England

Former Indian selector Kiran More has called for patience with the Indian Test team, emphasizing the importance of fielding improvements following their recent five-wicket defeat to England in the first Test.

Yashasvi Jaiswal during the first Test match

Speaking to IANS, More acknowledged India's strong performance for the majority of the match but pinpointed fielding errors as a critical factor in the loss. "We played very well for four days," More stated. "I think the mistake came on the last day when England played outstanding cricket. Fielding was where we slipped. Those were simple catches — no one drops those — and that made the difference.”

England's successful chase of 371 runs on the final day secured a 1-0 lead in the series. Ben Duckett's impressive 149, along with Joe Root's unbeaten 53 and Jamie Smith's 44 not out, propelled England to victory. This chase stands as England's second-highest successful chase ever, and their highest against India in Test history.

India's batting lineup showed promise, with Shubman Gill (147), Rishabh Pant (134), and Yashasvi Jaiswal (101) all scoring centuries in the first innings, contributing to a total of 471. However, a collapse saw them lose seven wickets for just 41 runs. England responded with 465, aided by contributions from Duckett (62), Ollie Pope (106), and Brook (99), with their final five wickets adding 189 runs.

In the second innings, India reached a seemingly comfortable position at 333/4, thanks to a 195-run partnership between Pant (118) and K.L. Rahul (137). However, another collapse saw them lose six wickets for 31 runs, eventually being dismissed for 364 and setting England a target of 371.

More emphasized the need to allow the team time to develop cohesion. "We've got a good, balanced team, but this team is still in transition. I think we need to give them time — a year or so — to settle, find the right combination, and grow into a strong unit. We've scored over 750 runs across both innings, so the batting is there. But we can't keep depending on Bumrah. He needs support — especially from the spinners."

Despite Jasprit Bumrah's efforts, he went wicketless in the second innings. Prasidh Krishna's performance proved expensive, and crucial dropped catches, particularly of Harry Brook, proved costly for India.

More drew parallels to past cricketing legends, stating, "We've seen it before — from Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Sachin, to Kohli and Rohit. Now it's time for new faces to step up. They need time and support. If we keep playing like this and keep making the same mistakes, we won't improve. But give this group time, and we'll have a good team."

The successful chase at Headingley marked the third occasion a target exceeding 350 has been achieved at the ground. The match also became only the third in Test history where all four innings surpassed 350 runs, highlighting the high-scoring nature of the contest.