Image: Repetition of the Indian team's mistakes at the match in Leeds / © ESPNcricinfo
Once a legend said, “a good batsman will score more runs, a good bowler will take wickets, but a good fielder will save runs in every match.” However, it seems like the Indian cricket team didn’t study this theory before they stepped into the first match against England in Headingley.
Due to the poor fielding efforts, India has not only lost the first Test match, but they have also started the new World Test Championship cycle with a loss of WTC points. The match could’ve been easily won with the dominance of the batsmen, but the mistakes on the field cost the game.
This loss might not affect the team right now, but it will remain a what-if if they fall short by a win or two in the upcoming World Test Championship final. Similar mistakes also happened with the Indian team in the Melbourne Test, which cost them the World Test Championship 2025 final. Let’s take a look at how the Melbourne and Leeds Tests were similar to the Indian team.
India and Australia were fighting hard against each other during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for a spot in the World Test Championship final. Each match was important for both teams, and as the series was levelled at 1-1, they went to Melbourne for the fourth Test, which could also be a decider.
Australia were batting first in this game, and received a strong start, which helped them to score 474 runs. This was possible due to the 140 scored by Smith, followed by half-centuries of Sam Konstas, Usman Khawaja, and Marnus Labuschagne. Bumrah dominated with the ball, taking 4 wickets, while Jadeja took 3.
India’s first innings was again a tale of struggle by the top order, where Kohli and Jaiswal were able to play well. Putting the team at the score of 221 for 7, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar had a partnership, which helped India to finish at 369. Nitish scored a perfect century in this game, while Yashasvi Jaiswal (82) and Washington Sundar (50) also performed well.
In Australia’s second innings, India had dropped a few catches, which prevented the team from an early collapse. First, he dropped Usman Khawaja in the third over when he had scored just 2 runs. Khawaja went on to score 21 runs before losing his wicket to Siraj. Later, the catch of Marnus Labuschagne was also dropped.
Jaiswal dropped his catch while standing at the gully when Labuschagne stood at the score of 46. He also went on to score 70 runs in this innings, and after the catch drop, Captain Rohit Sharma was also seen frustrated. Later, Jaiswal also dropped the catch of Cummins at the silly point, when Cummins stood at the score of 21.
| Batsman | Catch Dropped At | Final Score | Dropped By | Runs Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Usman Khawaja | 2 | 21 | Yashasvi Jaiswal | 19 |
| Marnus Labuschagne | 46 | 70 | Yashasvi Jaiswal | 24 |
| Pat Cummins | 21 | 41 | Yashasvi Jaiswal | 20 |
Cummins also went on to score 41 runs, as Australia finished their innings at the score of 234. India had the target of 340, which the team failed to chase by 184 runs. However, the target could’ve been shorter than expected if the dropped catches had been taken. Not only would they have avoided the extra runs, but it would also have created some pressure on the other batsmen.
After ending the previous World Test Championship cycle with some consecutive losses, the Indian team aimed to start the next on a positive note. Under the captaincy of Shubman Gill, who has been newly appointed for this cycle, the team still repeated the same old mistakes like the Melbourne Test, in the first match against England at Headingley, Leeds.
India started off the match well, even after England had won the toss and decided to field first. Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul gave a brilliant start to the team before Rahul lost his wicket after scoring 42. Still, Jaiswal went on to score 101 runs, followed by the centuries by Captain Gill, who scored 147, and Rishabh Pant, who scored 134. As a result, the team finished at a score of 471.
England had an inexperienced batting line-up, which gave the bowlers an upper hand. But their advantage couldn’t last due to the fielding mistakes. In the second innings, Ben Duckett was dropped by Jadeja at the score of 15, and he went on to score 62 runs, before being dismissed by Jasprit Bumrah.
| Batsman | Catch Dropped At | Final Score | Dropped By |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ben Duckett | 15 | 62 | Ravindra Jadeja |
| Ollie Pope | 60 | 106 | Yashasvi Jaiswal |
| Harry Brook | 46 | 99 | Rishabh Pant |
| Harry Brook | 83 | 99 | Yashasvi Jaiswal |
| Chris Woakes | 15 | 38 | Yashasvi Jaiswal |
| Zak Crawley | 42 | 65 | Jasprit Bumrah |
| Ben Duckett | 97 | 149 | Yashasvi Jaiswal |
Later, Jaiswal dropped the catch of Ollie Pope when he stood at 60, and Pope went for a century before losing his wicket. Harry Brook, who already received an opportunity from Jasprit Bumrah after losing his wicket on a no-ball when he was at 0, got two more opportunities from the fielders. First, he was dropped by Rishabh Pant at the score of 46, and later by Jaiswal at the score of 83.
Brook ended up scoring 99 runs in the innings, missing out on his century. After getting rid of the top and middle order, the team thought England would collapse soon. But Jaiswal dropped the catch of Chris Woakes when he stood at 15, as he later went on to score 38 runs for the team. As a result, England finished at the score of 465, just 6 runs short of India’s total.
In the third innings, the Indian team was again able to perform well with the bat, as they ended up with a total of 364 runs. The lower end was not able to contribute yet again, but KL Rahul (137) and Rishabh Pant (118) helped India to reach this total, and only Sai Sudharsan was able to reach the 30-run mark in the remaining line-up. Thus, India ended up giving a target of 371 runs to England, which surely seemed challenging for the English batters.
During England’s chase, India again repeated the same fielding mistakes, which cost the match. First, Zak Crawley was dropped by Bumrah on his delivery when he was at the score of 42. He further went on to score 65 before losing his wicket to Prasidh Krishna. However, Ben Duckett was the main problem for the team, and his catch was also dropped by Yashasvi Jaiswal when Duckett stood at 97.
Such dropped catches pressurised the Indian fielders to a great extent, and as a result, the team lost the match against England by 5 wickets. If the catches hadn’t dropped in the first innings, it could’ve helped the team to establish a 150+ runs lead and create even a bigger target for England to achieve.
However, some fans may call it tough luck while others blame the fielders for their performances in the first Test against England. It is expected that the fielding coach will now spend some more time training the players hard for the upcoming matches against England, so that these mistakes don’t cost the team another game in the series.