Former India leg-spinner Amit Mishra is not happy with India’s fielding standards in the ongoing T20 Asia Cup 2025. While India have remained unbeaten in the tournament, they have been sloppy in the field, dropping as many as 12 catches. Mishra pointed his fingers at India’s fielding coach T Dilip, asking “what is he doing?” He wants head coach Gautam Gambhir to turn his focus to fielding ahead of the final against Pakistan on September 28.
“You should practice. What is the fielding coach doing? He should make them practice taking catches under the light. You are professional cricketers. You have to work hard and adjust to it. I agree that one or two dropped catches can happen in a match. But it has been happening consistently. I think Gautam Gambhir needs to focus on fielding," Mishra told ANI.
Dilip came up with fielding drills to counter the ‘ring of fire’ at Dubai Cricket Stadium. He wanted players to look away for a millisecond once they have spotted the ball. He does not want the fielders on the boundary to lose sight of the ball due to the ‘ring of fire’. However, it hasn’t worked their way.
What did Chakravarthy say about dropped catches?
“You can’t give excuses at this level. We should be taking these catches, but definitely, if you ask me about rings of fire, it comes in the eye, something. It is a little bit of disturbance," Chakaravarthy had said in the post-match press conference.
Mishra's message to Team India for final vs Pakistan
Mishra went on to say that one dropped catch decide the outcome of the game as the margin or error is almost non-existent in a final clash. He wants a solution to the problem.
“In T20Is, dropping one catch can prove costly, and the Indian team is dropping three to four catches. They need to focus on fielding. There should be no margin of error in the final against Pakistan. Even if there is a problem, you should find a solution to it," he added.
It will be interesting to see whether Dilip’s fielding drills come in handy and India avoid dropping any catches in the final against Salman Agha’s side.