IND vs AUS: India Is No Match To Any Other Top Side In The World, Says Ravi Shastri On India's Fielding

The Indian team’s subpar fielding against Australia in the opening T20I of the series has drawn criticism from former India head coach Ravi Shastri.

Despite amassing a huge total of 208 runs in the first innings, India was unable to contain the visitors, who had a field day on Tuesday, September 20, and shot down a record total. 

Fielding Can Hit Badly In Big Tournaments: Ravi Shastri

Ravi Shastri feels that youngsters are missing from the team hence the dip in fielding.

“If you look at all the top Indian teams over the years, there is youth and experience. I find the youth missing here and hence the fielding.

If you look at the last five-six years, fielding-wise, I think this side is no match to any of the top sides when it comes to fielding. And that can hit badly in big tournaments,” Shastri said on Star Sports after the match.

A total of three catches were missed by India against Australia, two of which were critical ones by Cameron Green and Matthew Wade, who later served as the driving forces behind Australia’s victory. Wade played a fantastic knock of 45 off only 21 balls late in the day, while Green was dropped on 42 and went on to score 61 off just 30 balls. 

Ravi Shastri Disappointed By The Standard Of Fielding

Ravi Shastri also discussed how fielding affects the batting side, which must score more runs to make up for the disadvantage the fielding unit creates. 

“It means that as a batting side you have to get that 15-20 runs game after game, because if you look around the field, where is brilliance? There is no Jadeja. Where is that X-factor?” Ravi Shastri further added. 

“What I was disappointed today with was the standard of fielding. I mean, it looks sloppy and I think you need a big upping of the ante when it comes to the fielding if you have to beat big sides in big competitions,” he concluded his assessment. 

The second game of the series is now slated to be played on September 23 in Nagpur. 

Also Read: IND vs AUS: “Bit Of X-factor”: Mahela Jayawardena’s Big Praise For Australia’s New Big-Hitter