Legendary Sunil Gavaskar was not happy about India’s fielding standards on Day 2 of the first Test match against England. A sloppy Indian team put down three catches on the second day of the opening Test, failing to contain the English line-up.
England made merry in conditions that were largely biased towards the batters and raced to 209 runs in just 49 overs for the loss of three wickets. India, if they had grabbed their chances, would have been in a much better position in the Test match.
The Shubman Gill side made silly errors in the field. Despite Jasprit Bumrah removing Zak Crawley in the very first over, India let go of several key chances. Ravindra Jadeja dropped Ben Duckett on 15 — a rare lapse from one of India’s safest fielders — while other half-chances and edges went begging throughout the session. Duckett and Ollie Pope capitalised fully, putting together a 122-run stand that dragged England right back into the contest.
ENG vs IND 1st Test Day 2 Highlights
Speaking on the broadcast after the game, an unhappy Sunil Gavaskar said that there should be no fielding medal given by T Dilip, the fielding coach, in the dressing room.
“I don’t think there will be any medal given. T Dilip gives those after a match. This is what was really very, very disappointing. Yashasvi Jaiswal is a very good fielder but he hasn’t been able to hold on to anything this time,” Sunil Gavaskar, who was commentating, said at the close of play.
India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak addressed the same issue and rued the mistakes made by the Indian team.
“Those dropped catches and the no-ball were definitely disappointing. Usually, we’re sharper in the field. But as a support staff and team, we take it as one of those unfortunate days — not the norm. Overall, we bowled well barring a few loose patches. There was something in the wicket, and we tried to make the most of it,” Kotak said in the post-match press conference.
At the end of Saturday’s play, England were only 262 runs behind India’s 471-run total in the first innings.