T20WC: Team India's fielding fortunes continue to dwindle; catching efficiency reaches new low
Kolkata, March 1
Team India's poor run while fielding during the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup continued as a few dropped chances came during the must-win virtual quarterfinal against West Indies at Kolkata's Eden Gardens on Sunday.
During the clash against West Indies, Abhishek Sharma came running from extra-cover, but dropped an absolute sitter during the fifth over, bowled by Jasprit Bumrah, that could have dismissed Roston Chase. In the penultimate over by Arshdeep Singh, Abhishek spilt out another catch that could have dismissed Rovman Powell.
This takes India's total number of catch drops in this tournament to 13, the most by a team.
Also, India's catching efficiency of 71.7% is the worst among the Super 8 sides.
Coming to the match, India won the toss and elected to field first. Roston Chase (40 in 25 balls, with five fours and a six) and skipper Shai Hope (32 in 33 balls, with three fours and a six) put on an opening stand of 68 runs for first wicket, but WI slipped to 119/4 in 14.1 overs, despite a fiery cameo by Shimron Hetmyer (27 in 12 balls, with a four and two sixes).
It was the pair of Jason Holder (37* in 22 balls, with two fours and three sixes) and Rovman Powell (34* in 19 balls, with three fours and two sixes) who put on a fiery stand of 76 runs in 35 balls, taking WI to 195/4 in 20 overs.
Jasprit Bumrah (2/36 in four overs) was India's leading bowler, with Varun Chakaravarthy and Hardik Pandya dropping a spell of 1/40 in four overs each.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Abhishek Sharma had a nightmare day. Those were regulation catches at this level. The pressure of a knockout game got to him, but as a professional, you have to hold those. Hope he bounces back, but the damage might already be done for the tournament. 😔
It's not just one player. The stat says it all - worst among Super 8 teams. Where is the fielding coach? Remember the days of Yuvraj, Kaif, Raina? We set the standard. Now we look sluggish. Need a boot camp just for catching before the next match!
While the criticism is valid, let's not forget we still won the match, right? The article doesn't mention the result. The batting chased down 196! Yes, fielding was poor, but the team showed character to win despite that. That's a positive takeaway.
Watching from the UK, the difference in fielding intensity between teams like Australia/South Africa and India is stark. In T20, 20-30 extra runs gifted in the field is often the difference between winning and losing. Bumrah can't do everything.
The Holder-Powell partnership flourished because of those drops. We gave them a life and they made us pay. In the knockouts, against stronger sides, these mistakes will be fatal. Need to hold our nerve and our catches! 🇮🇳 #TeamIndia
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