Catches win matches is an old adage, and the Shubman Gill-led Indian team learnt this the hard way, losing to England by five wickets at Leeds on Tuesday. A record number of catches were dropped in India’s poor start at Old Blighty. The fielding of the Indian team, particularly Yashasvi Jaiswal, who dropped four catches, has drawn sharp criticism. 

However, former India fielding coach R Sridhar, has attributed these errors to the fact that many of the players were playing a Test for the first time in England, where the weather conditions can make catching difficult.

“The boys have been working hard but many of them, including Jaiswal, are playing a Test series in England for the first time. So, we must take into consideration factors like the ground, the slope, weather etc,” Sridhar told mid-day on Wednesday.