New Delhi, July 2
Former Indian batting coach Sanjay Bangar spoke about the importance of not dropping catches and said dropping chances makes the job of the bowling department much tougher.
India dropped several catching opportunities throughout the opening Test against England, which conspired against them during their five-wicket defeat at Headingley.
"It's very important not to drop catches. It makes the job of the bowling department that much more tougher. But here I would say that this is also a fresh step forward for India. And wherever Yashasvi actually fields--basically, gully is a position in cricket which is a very, very specialised position," JioHotstar expert Sanjay Bangar said while speaking on "Follow The Blues".
India dropped as many as eight catching opportunities, which tipped the scales in England's favour. The eight dropped chances cost India a whopping 250 runs, a valuable tally that held the power to change the visitors' fate. Yashasvi Jaiswal was the prime offender with four dropped chances, followed by other top fielders.
Bangar felt India would have to invest in a particular player to master the catching part in the gully area and praised former Indian skipper Anil Kumble, who did well in gully when he was playing.
"And that's where I think India will have to invest in a particular player to master the catching part in the gully area. I don't really remember too many great players who were consistently staying in the gully area. In my memory, Anil Kumble did that really well for India when he was playing," he added.
Bangar also highlighted the need to prioritise developing a skilled gully fielder, as this area sees a high volume of catches. He believed that the best fielder on the team should be positioned in the gully or in the wider slip cordon, such as the four-slip area.
"Ajinkya Rahane made that spot his own. But after that, there has to be a real focus on developing a good gully fielder. Because that's where a lot of catches go, and it's a position that should actually go to your best fielder. As we say that the point fielder has to be your best fielder. But your best catcher actually has to be slightly wider in the slip cordon--maybe that four-slip area or even the gully region. And that's where a lot of those catches go," Bangar said.
Ben Duckett's fiery 149, Joe Root's composed 53*, and Jamie Smith's swashbuckling 44* fuelled England's hunt to pull off a 371-run target at their favourite playground on Tuesday's final day of the Test.
With this win, England go 1-0 up in the five-test match series. The second test between the two sides will be played on July 2 at Edgbaston Stadium in Birmingham.
- ANI
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