Former India fielding coach R Sridhar has pointed out a few factors which contributed to India's sloppy slip catching in the opening Test of the five-Test series at Headingley, Leeds. Yashasvi Jaiswal dropped four catches in the Test which hampered India's chances of starting the tour with a win. Sridhar defended Jaiswal against the widespread criticism and recalled the 'outstanding' catches he took against Bangladesh.
“He’s actually an excellent gully fielder. Make no mistake. He’s had just two bad games — one in Melbourne, one here in Leeds. Otherwise, he’s been exceptional. The catches he took against Bangladesh in Kanpur were outstanding. It’s easy to sit in the commentary box and criticise, but these are challenging conditions, and for many of them, it’s their first experience of this environment," Sridhar said in an interview with Sportstar.
Gambhir defends Jaiswal too
Earlier, head coach Gautam Gambhir had defended Jaiswal and other fielders for dropped chances which proved costly.
“Catches do get dropped. The best fielders have missed catches. None of them did it on purpose,” Gambhir told reporters during the post-match press conference.
Sridhar furious at poor ground fielding
However, Sridhar came down heavily on Indian players for their poor ground fielding. There were a few lapses in the field, including Shardul Thakur slipping and not recovering the ball immediately which led to an angry response from Ravindra Jadeja.
“The standard of ground fielding which is exhibited is not acceptable. Unlike catching, ground fielding is something which is totally in your control. You should know which ball to put your body behind, which ball to attack, which ball to play safe,” Sridhar said.
Jaiswal with a point to prove
Before the series opener, there were concerns around India's batting but fielding wasn't considered an issue. Jaiswal scored a century in his first Test innings on England soil but will have a point to prove at Edgbaston, Birmingham, as the second Test begins on July 2.