‘None of them did it on purpose’: Gambhir defends India players over catch-dropping ‘fiasco’ at Headingley

LEEDS(UK): Head coach Gautam Gambhir came out in defence of his side and declared that no player dropped a catch on “purpose” in the aftermath of India’s tantalising five-wicket defeat at Headingley in the five-match series opener against England.

India ushered in the new dawn in Test cricket without its batting bigwigs, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, with Shubman Gill taking up the captaincy mantle. The initial signs were positive from the young and inexperienced side, keeping the Headingley enchanted by putting up a batting masterclass on exhibition.

Despite a late collapse, India finished with 471 on the board and moved on to their plans of unsettling England’s bustling ‘Bazball’ approach with the ball. Opportunities came and breezed past the Indian team in the first innings, and they conspired to dictate the outcome of the five-day contest.

India dropped six catches, with Yashasvi Jaiswal being the culprit for 50 per cent of those opportunities. On the final day, Jaiswal’s face looked even more lugubrious after he dropped a sitter to give Ben Duckett an unprecedented lifeline on 97. Duckett taught India a lesson and went on to add 52 runs and finish on 149. While Indian players were lampooned for the horror show, Gambhir stayed by his side.

“Catches do get dropped. The best fielders have missed catches. None of them did it on purpose,” Gambhir told reporters while reflecting on the dropped chances in the post-match press conference.

Apart from India’s lacklustre fielding, the tail-end collapse in both innings was at the heart of the visitors’ downfall despite them being dominant for most of the fixture.

India’s batting calamity echoed the difference between the top five batters and the bottom six. India’s first half was the primary driving force and accumulated 721 runs, courtesy of five centuries. At the same time, the rest could only muster 65 runs, adding to India’s agony.

“Yes, from a batting point of view, it’s disappointing because, in the first inning, we lost seven wickets on 40 runs and six wickets on 30 runs in the second inning. When we had the opportunity to make around 600 runs in the first inning, we were in a situation where we could have dominated,” Gambhir said.

“But again, these things happen. So, hopefully, we can learn in the second test match. But the good thing was that we had opportunities all four or five days where we could have dominated this Test match,” he added.

After floundering in their attempts to defend 371 and England walking away with a 1- 0 lead, India will look to restore parity in Birmingham next week. (ANI)