Fielding a huge focus for India en route to title defense with a hum of intent in India’s fielding drills these days.
Fielding in focus as India continue on World Cup path.
These days, India’s fielding routines are filled with a sense of purpose. The word “mahaul” (atmosphere) is utilised frequently and purposefully throughout the setup. The goal is to create a contagious spirit that will help the squad get through even the most boring parts of the game. Prior to the highly anticipated “1 vs. 2” T20I series against Australia, India’s optional session in Canberra demonstrated this enthusiasm once more.
One of the few areas in which India has failed to match their impressive No. 1 status in Twenty20 Internationals is fielding, particularly catching. The fielding felt off-color even at the most recent Asia Cup, which they won without losing a single game. The ring-of-fire lights at Dubai might have contributed to some of it, but 12 dropped catches – the most by any side – left a blemish on an otherwise dominant campaign.
India’s catching effectiveness of 82.7% is just fifth among Full Members since the beginning of 2025. Captain Suryakumar Yadav is committed to improving as his side prepares to defend its T20 World Cup title the following year.
“According to me, the catches will get dropped. If you are a fielder, you will go for the catch, you’ll drop. Just like how, if you are a batter, you will get out. Or if you are a bowler, you will try to land it right, but you won’t get the wicket. These are all part of the game,” Suryakumar said on Tuesday (October 28).
“But according to me, what you do after that is more important. Today was an optional session. But today everyone came to field. So that means the team is working towards something really special. And this is a department that I have said that we will have to work hard if we want to be the best fielding unit in the world. You see how many teams catch good catches, do good fielding, win matches on fielding. So if the batting is light or the bowling is here and there, but with fielding, if you do one thing right, you can win a match. So we are working hard.
“We are working hard on it. But there is no guarantee that if you catch 25 catches today [in training], you won’t miss it again tomorrow. It can be missed. It’s part of the game. But how much you want the ball to come to you, how you try to create that intent and opportunity, that is important for me. If the catch is missed, there is no problem. Obviously, there is disappointment. But at the same time, if you are putting in the effort, then there is no problem,” he added.