India's Fielding Woes Exposed After Test Loss to England: Former Selector Calls for Patience

Former India Selector Pinpoints Key Factor in Test Defeat Against England

Following India's five-wicket loss to England in the first Test, former Indian cricket selector Kiran More has called for patience and identified fielding as a critical area of concern.

Yashasvi Jaiswal in action during the first innings. India's batting showed promise but fielding lapses proved costly.

"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's successful chase of 371 runs on the final day secured a 1-0 lead in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. Ben Duckett's impressive 149, coupled with unbeaten innings from Joe Root (53) and Jamie Smith (44), guided England to victory. This chase marked England's second-highest successful chase in Test history and their highest against India.

More elaborated on the match's key moments, stating, "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."

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

India's second innings showed promise with a 195-run partnership between Pant (118) and K.L. Rahul (137), reaching 333/4. However, another collapse saw them lose six wickets for 31 runs, ultimately being dismissed for 364 and setting England a target of 371.

More emphasized the need for patience with 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."

Highlights from the first Test match where England defeated India.

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

More concluded, "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. The match also became only the third in Test history where all four innings exceeded 350 runs.