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

Former Australian wicketkeeper Brad Haddin has challenged India's new Test captain, Shubman Gill, to make a crucial "attitude adjustment" following India's recent defeat to England in the first Test of the Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy 2025.

India captain Shubman Gill (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)

The five-wicket loss at Headingley, despite India boasting five centurions across both innings, has been largely blamed on a subpar fielding performance. The team's eight dropped catches proved costly, enabling England to successfully chase down a target of 371 runs.

India's fielding errors were particularly damaging in the case of England opener Ben Duckett, who was dropped twice and capitalized by scoring 211 runs, including a match-winning 149 in the fourth innings. Duckett's exceptional 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 keeper also alluded to potential negative impacts stemming from the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, suggesting a correlation between the tournament and the observed decline in catching 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 disappointing fielding overshadowed their batting performance, where they managed to post competitive totals in both innings. The pace attack, spearheaded by Jasprit Bumrah, struggled to assert dominance and was further undermined by the dropped catches.

Team India is currently preparing for the second Test match, scheduled to be held at Edgbaston Stadium in Birmingham from July 2-6, 2025. The team will need to urgently 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 features key players such as Jofra Archer, Ben Duckett, Joe Root, and Chris Woakes, as they aim to capitalize on their lead in the series.