Following India's five-wicket defeat against England in the first Test at Headingley, the spotlight has turned on the team's fielding performance, with former Australian wicketkeeper-batter Brad Haddin suggesting that captain Shubman Gill needs to address the team's attitude to fielding. The loss, in a match where India had five centurions, was largely blamed on poor fielding, with the team dropping eight catches across both innings.
Haddin, speaking on the Willow Talk podcast, didn't hold back in his assessment. He stated that Gill must take responsibility for raising India's fielding standards if they aspire to be a formidable Test team under his leadership. Haddin emphasized that great teams across all eras have consistently been excellent fielding sides. He believes that Gill's legacy should be to instill that culture within the team. "Every great team, no matter what year you're playing, the one standout feature they've always had is that they've been a great fielding team. And I think that is one legacy Gill has to start to leave now on this team. He needs an attitude adjustment," Haddin said.
The dropped catches proved particularly costly, especially in the case of England opener Ben Duckett, who was dropped in both innings and went on to score a match-winning 211. Duckett was named Player of the Match for his performance, which helped England take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series. Yashasvi Jaiswal was highlighted as a main culprit, dropping four chances. Aakash Chopra also criticized India’s catching and no-balls, emphasizing that these disciplinary aspects are within the team's control.
Haddin also pointed to the Indian Premier League (IPL) as a potential factor in the declining catching standards. "If you want to field well and compete the whole time, it's only attitude. You can do all your technical work off the field and have as many coaches as anyone, but it won't matter. Even in the IPL this year, the catching was horrible. And that could be a byproduct," Haddin noted. He stressed that fielding is as crucial as batting or bowling.
Sanjay Manjrekar has also weighed in on Shubman Gill's captaincy, drawing comparisons with Virat Kohli. Manjrekar suggested that Gill's approach was overly defensive, with fielders placed on the boundary early in the innings. He contrasted this with Kohli's more aggressive approach, focused on actively seeking wickets.
India's batting collapses have added pressure on the top order. In the first innings at Headingley, India went from 430 for 3 to 471 all out, and in the second innings, they lost six wickets for just 31 runs. Haddin noted that India's middle and lower order needs to step up.
The Indian team is now preparing for the second Test at Edgbaston in Birmingham, commencing on July 2, 2025. To level the series, they need to address their fielding concerns. India will hope to overcome their shortcomings when the second Test gets underway.
