Haddin Calls for 'Attitude Adjustment' from Gill After India's Fielding Woes in England Test

Former Australian wicketkeeper Brad Haddin has urged India's newly appointed Test captain, Shubman Gill, to reassess his approach following India's recent defeat to England in the opening Test of the Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy 2025 at Headingley. The match concluded with a five-wicket loss for India.

Shubman Gill leading the Indian team.

Despite India showcasing strong batting performance with five centurions, their poor fielding significantly contributed to the defeat. The team dropped eight crucial catches across both innings, enabling England to chase down a target of 371 runs successfully.

India's costly fielding errors were particularly evident in the case of England's opening batsman, Ben Duckett. He was dropped in both innings, subsequently scoring 211 runs, including a match-winning 149 in the fourth innings. Duckett's stellar performance earned him the Player of the Match award and propelled England to a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.

"Every great team, no matter what year you're playing, the one standout feature they've always had is that they've been a great fielding team. And I think that is one legacy Gill has start to leave now on this team. He needs an attitude adjustment," Haddin stated on the Willow Talk podcast.

The former Australian wicketkeeper also suggested that the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 might be a contributing factor to the declining fielding standards.

"If you want to field well and compete the whole time, it's only attitude. You can do all your technical work off the field and have as many coaches as anyone, but it won't matter. Even in the IPL this year, the catching was horrible. And that could be a byproduct," Haddin added.

The Indian team's subpar fielding overshadowed their strong batting performance, where they managed to post competitive totals in both innings. The pace attack, led by Jasprit Bumrah, struggled to make a significant impact and was further hindered by the dropped catches.

Team India is currently preparing for the second Test match, which will be held at Edgbaston Stadium in Birmingham from July 2-6, 2025. The team must address their fielding concerns to level the series.

England has announced their squad for the second Test, with Ben Stokes continuing as captain. Key players such as Jofra Archer, Ben Duckett, Joe Root, and Chris Woakes are included in the squad, aiming to capitalize on their series lead.