Haddin Calls on Gill to Adjust 'Attitude' After India's Test Defeat Amid Fielding Woes

Former Australian wicketkeeper-batter Brad Haddin has called on India's Test captain, Shubman Gill, to address his attitude following India's recent five-wicket defeat to England in the first Test match of the Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy 2025. The match took place at Headingley.

India captain Shubman Gill during the match.

The loss, despite India achieving five centuries during the game, has been largely attributed to a subpar fielding performance. The team dropped eight catches across both innings, ultimately allowing England to successfully chase a target of 371 runs.

India's fielding errors were especially detrimental in the case of England's opener, Ben Duckett. Duckett was dropped in both innings and capitalized on these opportunities to score 211 runs, including a match-winning 149 in the fourth innings. His impressive performance earned him the Player of the Match award and secured a 1-0 lead for England 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 may be contributing 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 underwhelming fielding overshadowed their 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 weakened by the dropped catches.

Team India is now preparing for the second Test match scheduled to take place at Edgbaston Stadium in Birmingham from July 2-6, 2025. The team must address their fielding concerns to level the series.

England has already announced their squad for the second Test, with Ben Stokes continuing as captain. The squad includes key players such as Jofra Archer, Ben Duckett, Joe Root, and Chris Woakes, all aiming to capitalize on their current lead in the series.