India is the only unbeaten side in Asia Cup 2025 and have made themselves into the final with a match remaining in the tournament. While India have ticked most of the boxes in the tournament, be it batting or bowling, the fielding has been an area where they have let themselves down big time. Ground fielding has been good, but the catching has been woeful to say the least. Blame it on the lights in Dubai or not, but this kind of fielding of India is not acceptable.
India have played 5 games so far and while in the Group Stage, the catching was under control, it has come to glaring issues in the Super 4 stage. India has dropped 4 catches against Pakistan in the Group stage and then last night against Bangladesh they dropped 5 catches. So, 9 out of the 12 catches have come in the Super 4 stage where India have played 2 matches so far. They have another Super 4 game against Sri Lanka before the big final on Sunday.
India’s horror fielding against Bangladesh last night.
India took to the field after posting 168 runs on the board, a total that was a tad below par. While the fielding and catching for the first 10 overs was good, it grew worse in the final 10 overs as catches were dropped like hot chocolates. The beneficiary of it was Saif Hassan who played a masterful 69 but couldn’t take his side home though.
Saif was first dropped by Axar off his own bowling on his follow through. It was a difficult chance but at this level it should have been taken. Well, if we thought this drop was enough, there was more in store. He was dropped in the deep thrice by different fielders with Shivam Dube and Hardik Pandya making a mess of one and Abhishek Sharma too dropped a catch. Kuldeep also dropped one. So, it was a forgettable outing in the field for India as other batters were dropped. Luckily, India had enough runs on the board and the other batters didn’t quite support Saif at all.
This fielding performance left many fans worried and experts as dropped catches can haunt India big time in big matches and with the final set for Sunday, India needs to up its fielding by leaps and bounds to challenge for major trophies. If this is the fielding performance, then in future against quality sides like Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and England, India will struggle. They may struggle in Asia Cup final if they field like this.
India’s fielding as a whole in Asia Cup 2025
India’s fielding as a whole has been under par in Asia Cup 2025. The ground fielding notwithstanding, the catching has been woeful for India in the whole tournament. They have dropped catches left right and centre and have in total dropped 12 catches. In fact, India has dropped the most catches with a catch efficiency of 67.5%. Hong Kong, China dropped 11 catches with a catch efficiency of 52.1%. Bangladesh has dropped 8 catches at catch efficiency of 74.1%. Sri Lanka has dropped 6 catches at 68.4% efficiency. Afghanistan and Oman have dropped 4 catches each with percentage of 76.4%. Pakistan have dropped 3 catches while UAE has dropped 2 catches and have the highest efficiency.
From the above list, it is crystal clear that India’s dropped catches is the highest among all teams and they have a lot of thinking and work to do. It has all got to do with the mindset and this is where India is lacking. They dropped 4 catches in the Super 4 game against Pakistan and that should have set the alarm bells ringing. If that hasn’t, then this five dropped catches against Bangladesh should really set the cat amongst the pigeons. India needs to wake up before it is too late as if they continue to drop catches, they will lose in the final on Sunday.
Role of T Dilip the fielding coach of India
Another point to note is the role of fielding coach T Dilip and whether he is performing his role in the side properly. What is T Dilip doing and what are his roles with regards to fielding position and fielding drills to the players. His role and his duties should also come under the scanner as he is not doing his job properly. If he was doing his job properly, India would not have dropped so many catches.
Dilip needs to be put under the scanner and see if he is delivering the goods for his side. If he is doing so, then fair enough, but if not then some action needs to be taken. He seems to be doing the job, but so many catches being dropped really underscores the question as to whether the players are paying attention and doing the proper training and practise in fielding. These fielding howlers needs to be rectified quickly as this has left fans and experts following Indian cricket literally worried. India must pull up their socks now.
What Lies Ahead
The stage is set for the virtual semi-final between Pakistan and Bangladesh from Dubai at 8 PM IST. The winner goes to the finals, the loser goes home. Who will prevail in this high stakes encounter? Only time will tell. A cracking game awaits us all.
Also Read: Asia Cup 2025: Abhishek Sharma’s 75 Takes India To 168/6