ENG vs IND 2025: Team India dropped 8 catches, Yashasvi Jaiswal dropped 4 – Fielding woes cost the Headingley Test?
It was the fourth ball of the 62nd over in the fourth innings of the Leeds Test when Shardul Thakur’s fielding act was below club cricket stand. Joe Root flicked Ravindra Jadeja to mid-on and rushed into the other end. Thakur slipped and took forever to retrieve the ball.
Jadeja was livid with the Maharashtra-born and right so. Root was aware of the situation and successfully converted the half-run into three. Two overs later, the former England captain opened the bat face at the backward point. It was a straightforward stop for Karun Nair, but the ball awkwardly slipped away and went for four.
Just like a good piece of fielding charges the entire team, sloppy and lazy fielding can drop the shoulders pretty quickly. It had been such case for the visitors, at Leeds. They had several chances at various moments, but they couldn’t seize them at all.
India’s dropped catches snatched heavy lead in the first innings
Team India’s young captain, Shubman Gill, didn’t have a great time with his leadership decisions. But the poor slip-catching and ground fielding were something he couldn’t control. They have been phenomenal in this aspect in the last couple of years, but that collapsed brutally in five days.
Yashasvi Jaiswal, despite scoring a fine century, was on the firing line on most occasions. Ben Duckett, in the fifth over, got a thick outside edge off Jasprit Bumrah, and the ball went right at gully. Jaiswal made a full-length dive but failed to grab the one-handed catch.
A couple of overs later, Jadeja dropped another simple catch of Duckett at backward point. It felt like they were not switched on in the field. The England opener went on to smash a fine knock of 62 runs.
Ollie Pope was the next lucky batter. He guided the length delivery to the third man. Yashasvi dived to his right and got both hands, but the ball hit his wrist and went down on the ground. That was the third chance off Bumrah’s bowling to put down in the inning. Harry Brook was the upcoming batter to taste the fortune. After already getting a life on duck thanks to the no-ball, Pant failed to gather the inside edge.
On the last ball of the 85th over, Brook poked the length delivery behind the wicket to Jaiswal. The Mumbai batter got the ball at a very good height but couldn’t keep it in his hands. The slip cordon and Bumrah watched it helplessly. To put salt in the wound, Brook’s 99-run knock decreased their deficit to just six runs.
Read More: ENG vs IND, 2025: Shubman Gill appeared clueless as captain in Headingley Test
This is an excellent spell from Bumrah. Again. Could have had 3-4 in this spell with a bit of help from the fielders.
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) June 21, 2025
India’s poor catching continued in the 371-run defense
Unless a side holds onto their catches, any target would look tiny. And that was the exact case with the two-time WTC runners-up. The poor fielding display continued in their second innings. Without any surprise, it was Jaiswal again on the firing line.
Duckett couldn’t control Mohammed Siraj’s short ball as the ball popped up in the air. The 23-year-old ran in and got two hands diving forward, only to drop the chance. The replays showed that he was a bit slow to get off the blocks, and that cost him. Gautam Gambhir, the head coach, gave a stoic expression while the bowler made his frustrations known to the fielder.
Meanwhile, there were periods when the ball either fell short or went through the gaps in the slip corridor. Once Gill opened the field due to England’s aggressive batting, the home side started to convert the singles into the doubles.
India’s captain admitted to the trouble the dropped catches created. Even the former England pacer, Stuart Broad, shared his views on how the dropped catches make it hard to pick 20 wickets in a Test.
“I mean this in the kindest possible way; they have to take their catches. They can’t lob three or four of them on the floor when you’re trying to get 10 wickets to take a test match.” Broad told JioHotstar.
Had Jaiswal taken Duckett’s catch, it could have opened the gate for India. It wasn’t an easy surface and condition for the new batters.
Read More: Is Rishabh Pant the greatest wicketkeeper-batter in Test history?
India require fielding development for the Edgbaston Test
Across the two innings, the visitors dropped eight catches. In comparison, England had three drops. But the difference was the impact. Apart from KL Rahul’s drop by Brook, none of these mistakes pinched them. In India’s case, it was the exact opposite, with the batters celebrating fifties and centuries.
If Gill’s army could hold the catches and grasp the moments, they could have taken a lead of around 150 runs. That would have increased the target to over 500. As they move forward to the second Test and deep into the series, this challenge will continue. However, they will need to find a way, and the only way to counter this issue is practice.
The action now moves to Edgbaston. In England, the home side has the best win-loss ratio of 2.727 at this ground. But the onus will be on India to come up with a better fielding performance to help the bowlers. If they don’t get the puzzle right in the first week of July, then it will be a long trip for the young side.
Read More: ENG vs IND, 2025, 1st Test, Day 5: England chase target of 371 without breaking a sweat
