India's Fielding Woes Under Scrutiny After Test Defeat; Former Selector Calls for Patience Amid Transition

Former Indian selector Kiran More has called for patience with the Indian Test team, emphasizing the importance of fielding after their recent defeat against England at Headingley. India lost the match by five wickets.

Yashasvi Jaiswal played a brilliant knock in the first innings.

More spoke to IANS, stating, "We played very well for four days. I think the mistake came on the last day when England played outstanding cricket. Fielding was where we slipped. Those were simple catches — no one drops those — and that made the difference.”

England successfully chased down a target of 371 runs to secure a 1-0 lead in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. Ben Duckett's impressive 149, supported by Joe Root's unbeaten 53 and Jamie Smith's 44 not out, sealed the victory. This chase marked England's second-highest successful chase ever and their highest against India in Test cricket.

India's first innings saw them amass 471 runs, including centuries from Shubman Gill (147), Rishabh Pant (134), and Yashasvi Jaiswal (101). However, a collapse saw them lose seven wickets for just 41 runs. England responded with 465, with key contributions from Duckett (62), Ollie Pope (106), and Brook (99).

In the second innings, India reached a seemingly strong position at 333/4, fueled by a 195-run partnership between Pant (118) and K.L. Rahul (137). However, they then suffered another collapse, losing six wickets for 31 runs and eventually being dismissed for 364, setting England a target of 371.

More highlighted the need for stability and support for the team. "We've got a good, balanced team, but this team is still in transition. I think we need to give them time — a year or so — to settle, find the right combination, and grow into a strong unit. We've scored over 750 runs across both innings, so the batting is there. But we can't keep depending on Bumrah. He needs support — especially from the spinners."

Despite Jasprit Bumrah's efforts, he went wicketless in the second innings. Prasidh Krishna's expensive spell and crucial dropped catches, particularly of Harry Brook, proved costly.

“We’ve seen it before — from Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Sachin, to Kohli and Rohit. Now it’s time for new faces to step up. They need time and support. If we keep playing like this and keep making the same mistakes, we won’t improve. But give this group time, and we’ll have a good team.”

The successful chase at Headingley marked the third time a target over 350 has been achieved at the venue. This match also became only the third in Test history where all four innings exceeded 350 runs.