India's Fielding Woes Under Scrutiny After Test Defeat to England: 'Simple Catches Cost Us,' Says Former Selector

Former Selector Criticizes India's Fielding After First Test Loss to England

Following India's five-wicket defeat to England in the first Test at Headingley, former Indian cricket selector and wicketkeeper Kiran More has called for patience but also highlighted the team's fielding as a critical factor in the loss.

"We played very well for four days," More told IANS. "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 on the final day, securing a 1-0 lead in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. Ben Duckett led the charge with 149, supported by Joe Root's unbeaten 53 and Jamie Smith's 44 not out. This victory was England's second-highest successful chase ever, and their highest against India.

India's first innings saw them amass 471 runs, with centuries from Shubman Gill (147), Rishabh Pant (134), and Yashasvi Jaiswal (101). However, a collapse saw them lose seven wickets for only 41 runs. England responded with 465, with contributions from Duckett (62), Ollie Pope (106), and Brook (99), and the final five wickets adding 189 runs.

In their second innings, India looked strong at 333/4, thanks to a 195-run partnership between Pant (118) and K.L. Rahul (137). But another collapse resulted in the loss of six wickets for 31 runs, leaving them dismissed for 364 and setting England a target of 371.

"In the first two days, we were really good, and I felt we could've added another 100–150 runs to our total. If we had scored 450 in the first innings, things might've been different. In the second innings, Rishabh and KL Rahul did well. But again, we collapsed at key moments."

"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."

Jasprit Bumrah went wicketless in the second innings. Prasidh Krishna's performance was expensive, and the dropped catches, particularly of Harry Brook, proved costly for India.

"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 this venue. This match was also only the third in Test history where all four innings exceeded 350 runs.