England’s fielding were at the receiving end of quite a bit of criticism on Day Two of the fifth Test against India at The Oval, after they put down three catches in the first 15 overs of India’s second dig. Undefeated in the opening session of a tense day, this early slip left the team “frustrated” and “disappointed”, according to the players and coaching staff at the end of day’s play.
The missed chances helped India get off to an aggressive start, with the young Yashasvi Jaiswal leading the charge. It was costly as every drop not only gave India more confidence but it also allowed the visitors to grab the driver’s seat in a momentum game England vs India.
Play into Day Three only further reflected how costly the fielding errors were. A fourth catch in 27 overs was spilled by England and their grief deepened at having slipshod slip fielders. Those watching wondered whether the absence so far of senior fielders, such as Ben Stokes and James Anderson, had made any difference to the overall standard of execution in the field.
The atmosphere in the England camp was taut. Members of the head coach and players admitted they felt they had missed an opportunity. Assistant coach Johnathan ‘Tresco’ – fairly summed up The frustrations of the evening by calling the “errors” a bitter pill to swallow – clearly not satisfied but accepting that “it is what it is”.
During the course of the England vs India match, Mohammed Siraj was relentless with the ball, ripping through England’s middle order in a fiery spell to help India fight back earlier in the day. His efforts, coupled with a determined batting display from Jaiswal have given India great impetus while dropped catches have been a persistent sore point in England’s campaign.
Every single opportunity, in fact about England vs India, is important at this pivotal moment of the match. England have the opportunity to re-establish control but will need to lift their fielding standards and convert those half-chances into wickets to do so. And for now, it is their inability to cling to what felt like the routine gain that is the painful
Source: https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/eng-vs-ind-5th-test-dropped-catches-leave-england-frustrated-and-disappointed-1497714
Match Result: Fifth Test Match, ENG vs IND The Kia Oval:
| Team name | Score |
| England | 247 – 9 (51.2 overs) |
| India | 224 & 113 – 2 (28.1 overs) |
