India might have secured a 41-run win over Bangladesh on Wednesday, but the match brought their fielding performance under intense scrutiny once again. The team’s butterfingers were on full display, dropping an astounding five catches and accumulating a total of 12 missed chances throughout the Asia Cup – an unfortunate record for the tournament.
With a dismal catching efficiency of just 67.5 percent, India now ranks second-worst, just above Hong Kong China. This game also saw a rare occurrence in T20Is: one batter, Saif Hassan of Bangladesh, was dropped four times in a single innings. This unwanted milestone has only been ‘achieved’ by Jason Roy, Mohammad Hafeez, and Pathum Nissanka previously. An image showing India’s Sanju Samson dropping a catch to dismiss Saif Hassan during the Asia Cup highlights these struggles.
Acknowledging the team’s significant shortcomings, spinner Varun Chakravarthy emphasized the critical need for improvement, especially with the World Cup looming. He candidly remarked, “This team has been picked for a mission till the World Cup. We have to pick up our fielding and the fielding coach will have lots to say. Last match he didn’t say much, but after today he’ll have plenty to say.”
Chakravarthy also touched upon the challenges posed by the “Ring of Fire” floodlights and high humidity, which can affect visibility. However, he quickly dismissed these as excuses, stressing that at this level, every catch must be taken.
During the intense match, Saif Hassan was given multiple lifelines at crucial scores of 40, 60, 65, and 69. Despite these lapses, India’s spin attack proved highly effective. Kuldeep Yadav led the charge by taking 3 wickets for just 18 runs, Varun Chakravarthy chipped in with 2 for 29, Axar Patel secured 1 for 37, and part-timer Tilak Varma also contributed to restricting Bangladesh. Suryakumar Yadav further aided the team’s efforts with a vital run-out.
Here’s a look at the dropped catches in Asia Cup 2025 by participating teams:
* India: 12 catches dropped, 67.5% catching efficiency
* Hong Kong China: 11 catches dropped, 52.1% catching efficiency
* Bangladesh: 8 catches dropped, 74.1% catching efficiency
* Sri Lanka: 6 catches dropped, 68.4% catching efficiency
* Afghanistan: 4 catches dropped, 76.4% catching efficiency
* Oman: 4 catches dropped, 76.4% catching efficiency
* Pakistan: 3 catches dropped, 86.3% catching efficiency
* UAE: 2 catches dropped, 85.7% catching efficiency
These ongoing fielding struggles highlight a critical area for improvement. While India’s batting and bowling performances have been commendable, consistent high-level success will undoubtedly depend on a significant uplift in their fielding standards under pressure.