The first Test between India and England in Leeds was a real lesson in how not to field in cricket. Several players dropped easy catches, which led to India losing by 5 wickets in this first match of the 5-match series. Those mistakes in the field were a major reason for the loss, and former India coach Ravi Shastri had a clear message for current coach Gautam Gambhir and his team after watching India struggle.
Shastri didn’t hold back when he saw Team India put in such a poor performance. Yashasvi Jaiswal, in particular, dropped four catches. He said, This will be a tough pill for India to swallow. You don’t get chances like this often, and to mess it up is frustrating. They could have taken control and pushed England out of the game. They need to learn from this and show more toughness when it comes to protecting their wickets.
Shastri also acknowledged the coaching staff’s role, saying they should focus on the positives. He noted that captain Shubman Gill had done well, even scoring a hundred, while recognizing there were other issues that weren’t within his control.
“Dropping catches isn’t something he can manage. That’s where the team needs to step up and do better. When batting, they need to value their wickets. They can’t just throw away a chance to score big runs by being hesitant,” Shastri added. “Coaches sometimes have to be tough on players. There were definitely good things that came out of this Test, too.”