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England's Disastrous Fielding: How Many Catches Have Ollie Pope Led Side Dropped Vs IND?

Anurag Dasgupta

Catches dropped by England fielders [Source: @Vipul_Espeaks/x.com] Catches dropped by England fielders [Source: @Vipul_Espeaks/x.com]

Normally, England is a very well-drilled fielding unit, with each player having the safest pair of hands in the field. However, in the Oval Test match against India, the home side has almost forgotten to take catches, and in return, has given India an advantage in the series finale of the all-important tour.

This series has witnessed both sides being underwhelming on the field, but on Friday (Day 2) and Saturday (Day 3), England looked lethargic on the field and dropped numerous sitters to push India on the front foot.

How many catches have England dropped at the Oval?

India opener, Yashasvi Jaiswal, scored a terrific fifty in the second innings of the match, and apart from his brilliant batting, credit should be given to Liam Dawson and Harry Brook, who dropped him at 20 and 40. Meanwhile, Zak Crawley gave a lifeline to Sai Sudharsan, as the home side dropped three catches on Day 2.

On the third day, Crawley was once again the centre of attraction as he spilled a simple catch at slips to give a second chance to Akash Deep.

The consequences of dropping the catches

Jaiswal was first dropped when he was at 20, and then again at 40. Had the earlier chances been taken, the India batter would have failed to capitalise, and perhaps England would have been at the front-foot.

Similarly, Akash Deep became a frustrating figure for the hosts, as the nightwatchman stood like a brick wall, and hardly gave any chances. He gave one chance, but Zak Crawley missed it, allowing the Indian batter to capitalise on it.

Catching has been poor in the ongoing series

Catching from both teams has been ineffective in the ongoing series. Both India and England have had buttery hands, and it has allowed balls to slip away. The two sides have dropped 18 catches each in the series, and there is still more time left to drop a couple more.