India’s inexperienced slip cordon drew flak as the team began a new era in Test cricket under a young captain in Shubman Gill, slumping to a five-wicket defeat against England at Headingley.
With stalwarts like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma moving on from the format, India fielded a fresh — and untested — slip cordon comprising K.L. Rahul, captain Gill, Karun Nair, and Yashasvi Jaiswal.
But former fielding coach R. Sridhar, who oversaw India’s transformation into one of the most athletic sides in world cricket, urged restraint.
“Going on the first tour to England and adapting and being a good slip fielder is not an easy task,” Sridhar told Sportstar. “You can practice all you want, but in the match, it’s quite challenging. The conditions are very cold, so the fingers get very numb. And secondly, the Duke’s ball wobbles a lot as it comes towards you. It’s not easy to catch.”
Despite a gritty century in the first innings, Jaiswal endured a horror outing in the field, responsible for four of India’s eight dropped catches — three in the cordon (third slip, fourth slip, and gully) and one in the deep.
One of those came at a crucial moment on Day 5. With England chasing a steep target and Ben Duckett three shy of a hundred, Mohammed Siraj forced a top edge with a short ball. Jaiswal sprinted in, dived, got both hands to it — but couldn’t hold on. Duckett went on to seal the game with a match-winning 149.
According to CricViz data (which began tracking fielding metrics in 2006), India’s catch success rate was 52.9% — its eighth-lowest in recorded Test history and the third-worst in terms of raw drops.
Yet Sridhar believes there’s more to it than meets the eye: “In England, sighting is very difficult. The Oval or Leeds are two of the most challenging grounds. Leeds has a slope which runs down from the pavilion side to the Kirkstall Lane end. And it’s very windy, and that messes with your rhythm and depth perception. Even England dropped catches. It’s not always about ability — often, it’s about conditions.”
This wasn’t the first time India’s slip cordon has buckled under pressure in England. During the 2014 tour, a rotating cast that included Ravindra Jadeja, Murali Vijay and Ajinkya Rahane spilled multiple chances at The Oval — prompting one British tabloid to dub it “India’s sleep cordon.”
Slip fielding woes resurfaced in 2018, too, when a technically sound Indian attack was often let down by lapses behind the stumps during the South Africa tour. Yet in the years that followed, a settled trio of Kohli, Rahane and Rohit restored credibility to India’s close-catching unit — especially against spin in subcontinental conditions.
Sridhar, who was instrumental in shaping that cordon, acknowledges that comparisons are inevitable — but also often unhelpful.
“When a (Cheteshwar) Pujara replaced Rahul Dravid, people expected him to play like Dravid, who had played 164 Tests by then. You can’t expect Gill, in his first match as Test captain, to be Rohit, who has led India in 50 Tests, or Virat, who’s captained in 70. That’s unrealistic,” he said.
“There’s always a temptation to compare new players with the old guard. But with the big guys not around, the new boys deserve a chance to find their rhythm, their own identity.”
Despite being under the microscope, Sridhar backed Jaiswal.
“He’s actually an excellent gully fielder. Make no mistake. He’s had just two bad games — one in Melbourne, one here in Leeds. Otherwise, he’s been exceptional. The catches he took against Bangladesh in Kanpur were outstanding. It’s easy to sit in the commentary box and criticise, but these are challenging conditions, and for many of them, it’s their first experience of this environment.”
Still, Sridhar didn’t shy away from calling out the broader lapses in ground fielding — areas he feels are more controllable.
“The standard of ground fielding which is exhibited is not acceptable. Unlike catching, ground fielding is something which is totally in your control. You should know which ball to put your body behind, which ball to attack, which ball to play safe,” he said.
“You know when to pick up the right cues, you know, based on the breeze. Wind is another big factor. As the television visuals showed, Leeds was extremely blustery and cold when we were fielding. But even then, Karun Nair took two brilliant catches, and so did KL Rahul…”
India now heads to Birmingham, trailing 0-1 in the five-match series, with a clearer sense of its growing pains — and what needs fixing. Sridhar believes the Edgbaston Test might offer a more forgiving environment.
“Birmingham is a nice ground. Good sightlines, no slope. It should help the boys settle down a bit.”
More importantly, he hopes the team avoids knee-jerk reactions and sticks to its preparation process.
“You reflect. You review. You don’t overreact. Watch videos, identify patterns, and record your practice sessions. Visualise the catches you missed, and make sure they don’t repeat. That’s how a team matures — not by avoiding failure, but by learning from it.”
While social media rages with comparisons and hot takes, Sridhar offers a quieter reminder: “At tea on Day 5, all four results were possible. How many young Indian teams have gone to England and fought till the last session on the final day? That says something. Let’s wait till the end of the series before we judge.”