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India faced a heartbreaking defeat against England in the first Test at Headingley, despite putting a strong performance with the bat. The loss has largely been attributed to poor fielding, with several dropped catches proving costly. Experts and fans believe these missed opportunities allowed England to shift the momentum and seal a crucial win. Meanwhile, Indian Head Coach Gautam Gambhir finally addressed the issue in the post-match press conference.
Gautam Gambhir spills beans on India’s sloppy display at Headingley
India put up a disappointing fielding display in Leeds, with nearly eight catches going down—several of others weren’t even attempted—highlighting a lack of energy and intent on the field. Fielders, especially Yashasvi Jaiswal, faced heavy criticism and trolling on social media for their lapses.
On being asked about the missed opportunity in field during both innings Gambhir said that catches do drop, even the best fielders in the game have missed chances. He reckoned no one drops a catch on purpose and things sometime happen on the field.
“Catches do drop, even the best fielders of the match have dropped catches. No one puts down a catch deliberately,” Gambhir told reporters.
Also WATCH: Ravindra Jadeja’s playful fist gesture with umpire wins hearts on Day 5 of Headingley Test
Gambhir backs inexperienced bowlers amid criticism
Gambhir also responded to questions about India’s underwhelming bowling performance, especially when journalists drew comparisons to the pre-2022 era, a time when the team regularly took 20 wickets in overseas Tests.
He said the bowling attack includes three bowlers who have played only four or five Test matches, one who is yet to make his debut, and another with just two Tests. They need time to develop. In the past, India had bowlers with experience of over 40 matches. While experience may not matter as much in limited-overs formats, it plays a crucial role in overseas Test matches. Constant judgment won’t help their growth—we need to keep backing them.
“In this bowling attack there are three such bowlers who have played 4 Test matches and 5 Test matches and one hasn’t got his debut and other has 2 Test matches. We have to give them time. Earlier we had bowlers with 40-odd matches experience. It doesn’t matter much in limited over format. But experience does really matter in overseas Test matches. How will the bowlers develop if you keep judging them. We gotta keep backing them,” Gambhir added.
