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Former India cricketer Yograj Singh slammed the Shubman Gill-led side's fielding standards after veteran star KL Rahul dropped Jamie Smith on just 5 runs during Day 2 of the third Test match against England at the iconic Lord's Stadium in London. KL Rahul's misfielding proved costly as the England wicketkeeper went on to score a resilient 56.
Yograj Singh didn’t mince words as he criticised the side’s declining standards in the field, particularly the catching. In an impassioned message, delivered with both concern and clarity, he highlighted how India’s current success with the ball risks being undermined by the poor fielding.
“I have told you many times to hold the catch,” Yograj said as quoted by IANS. “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 cited the example of players like his son Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif who revolutionised India’s fielding unit in the early 2000s. Their athleticism and sharp presence on the field transformed the team, making a crucial difference in pressure situations.
“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.”
“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” added Yograj
Coming back to the third Test, Jasprit Bumrah's fifer helped India to bowl out England for 387 runs despite Joe Root's 37th century on the second day of the Lord's Test. After Bumrah (5 for 74) eclipsed Kapil Dev's record of 12 five-wicket hauls on foreign soil. While Writing this copy, India are 74/2 after Karun Nair's dismissal.
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