Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif feels Team India's poor fielding standards can dent their chances of winning next year's T20 World Cup. In the third T20I on Tuesday, Australia made 186 runs on the back of Matthew Wade and Glenn Maxwell's brilliant half-centuries. However, another factor behind Australia's huge total was India's sloppy fielding and dropped catches. Kaif, who had redefined agility on the cricket field, expressed disappointment and said India could lose crucial games in the mega event if they keep on doing the same.
"So many dropped catches and misfields cannot be part of the game. They are doing it too much. If India has to win the World Cup, which is going to happen in October in India, then if the fielding is like this, then you will lose the big matches," Kaif said on broadcaster Sony's post-match show.
The former India batsman said it becomes tough for the young bowlers when they don't get any assistance from fielders. Kaif recalled his playing days and said the fielders were made to train for extra hours if they misfielded during the match.
"This Indian team has young bowlers, so when the catch is dropped the poor guys go back to the run-up. The bowler does not say anything but thinks it is part of the game. But it is not," Kaif said.
"If we had dropped a catch of Ajit Agarkar, Srinath, or Zaheer Khan's bowling, then even if they stare at the fielder, then you need to practice for extra two hours the next day," he added.
Australia secured a 12-run victory over India in the third T20I. While India had already won the three-match T20I series after winning the first two games, Australia won the last game to avoid a whitewash.
India will now play a four-match Test series against Australia which gets underway on December 17.
The first match will be a day-night affair and Kohli will head back home after the first Test as he has been granted paternity leave by the BCCI.
Rohit's availability for the Test series is also not clear as his fitness will be reassessed on December 11 at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru.