Dropped catches prove expensive
Nihar Namjoshi - 20 April 2002

India vs the West Indies, first Test, day one: Carl Hooper, on nought, gets an inside edge off his first ball, and the Indian guardian behind the stumps dives to his left, only to see the ball brush his gloves before rushing away for four. Carl Hooper goes on to score 233.

India vs the West Indies, second test, day one: Sachin Tendulkar, with his score still in single figures, gets a leading edge to mid-off, but big West Indian fast bowler Cameron Cuffy is late to react on what should have been a regulation catch. Sachin Tendulkar scores an unbeaten 113 by the end of the day.

The cliche of catches winning matches has probably been repeated a zillion teams, but as the teams in the Caribbean at the moment have proved, it still rings true to its core.

In the clash between India and the West Indies, there has much hype about the Indians having a real chance to win abroad against a West Indian side possibly at its lowest. Each side has genuine match-winners, although there are more in the Indian camp, and these match-winners can turn a match by their individual brilliance.

But there are some standards that have to be maintained throughout the game, and fielding is probably the most overlooked aspect of the game, according to me, as far as the Indians and their Western counterparts are concerned. Every aspect of it, from slip-catching to aggressive out-fielding, and from not dropping simple catches to being alert in the infield to prevent quick runs. Elementary; it has been taught to every cricketer from the time he donned his whites. Sadly, though, the Indians have often been found wanting, and so have been the West Indians

However, the maximal advantages of fielding are not just those I have mentioned above; there are many more. Great fielding involves converting half-chances that turn games on their head, throwing oneself around in desperation to save even a single, and giving everything in the field.

In contemporary cricket, there are quite a few sides that the Indians can look up to. Save England, Bangladesh and Pakistan, the rest of the Test-playing nations have excelled in this department. Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Zimbabwe are on a different level altogether. One rarely sees dropped catches, lazy outfielding or lethargic slip fielders.

Every dominant side, in fact, has been a great fielding side too. One remembers the West Indian side of the 80s with fearful fast bowlers and belligerent batsmen, but few remember that the same side was a great fielding outfit too, safe in the slips and sharp in the field. The current Australian side boasts two of the best contemporary bowlers in Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath, but these bowlers are seldom let down by their fielders. Instead, they have had keepers who rarely drop a catch and fielders of the pedigree of Mark Waugh in slip, Steve Waugh in gully and Ricky Ponting manning backward point. Such is the case with the South Africans too, aggressive as well as safe in the field. This is just what separates the ordinary sides from the good - not just fielding, but excelling in it.

So where do we go from here, as far as the Indian fielding is concerned? The currently required commandments seem to be:

Thou shalt catch all catches.
Thou shalt hustle in the out-field.
Thou shalt give your all in the field.

Dropped catches and mis-fielding, if one were to continue in biblical vein, can be deemed cardinal sins. Perhaps only such set-in-stone regulations will help India catch up with their international counterparts in this crucial aspect of the game.

The views expressed above are solely those of the guest contributor and are carried as written, with only minor editing for grammar, to preserve the original voice. These contributed columns are solely personal opinion pieces and reflect only the feelings of the guest contributor. Their being published on CricInfo.com does not amount to an endorsement by CricInfo's editorial staff of the opinions expressed.
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