India’s fielding woes came back to haunt them during the third Test at Lord's.
India’s fielding woes came back to haunt them during the third Test at Lord’s when senior opener KL Rahul dropped Jamie Smith when he was on just 5. That error proved costly as the England wicketkeeper went on to score 56 runs.
The missed opportunity has put India’s fielding issues on the spotlight again, especially after a number of mistakes in the series opener at Headingley, where the visitors spilled as many as eight catches.
Reflecting on the missed opportunities, former India cricketer Yograj Singh didn’t mince words as he criticized the team’s declining fielding standards.
Speaking to IANS, Yograj highlighted how India’s current bowling success could be jeopardised by poor catching.
“I have told you many times to hold the catch," Yograj said. “Rest, our bowling side is very good, very good. And we will have to tighten our fielding side. We will have to catch catches, otherwise, you cannot survive there."
Yograj also gave the example of players like his son Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif, who revolutionised India’s fielding unit in the early 2000s.
“When Yuvraj and Kaif came into the Indian team, these two guys changed the whole scenario," Yograj said. “Looking at them, the fielding side was very good. And we became world champions because we were very good at fielding. We caught the catches that were not supposed to be caught."
He continued: “We fielded where there were two runs, we gave one. Where there were three runs, we gave one. So these things will come only when you are very fit, have training, and catch 100-200 catches every day."
Stressing the importance of fielding drills, Yograj offered insights into his training methods. “I am here in the academy, until you catch 200–300 catches, till then we don’t let them bat or bowl."
(With inputs from IANS)