How India 'dropped' the Asia Cup
India now need a miracle to progress to the final as they will have to win by a bonus point against Afghanistan and hope that Sri Lanka lose both their remaining matches.
Dropping catches is something you wouldn't normally associate with a world champion side but then Team India's fielding has been well below-par on a number of occasions through the three matches they have played so far in the Asia Cup. (India lacked work ethic: Gavaskar)
Stand-in skipper Virat Kohli has also accepted the fact that crucial mistakes are being made in all departments. He said: "We are committing some mistakes regularly which we need to address because those mistakes are hurting us. In international cricket, if we continue to make three-four mistakes in every match then they become very costly for us. That's the one thing we need to learn and improve upon." (India need solidarity, not criticism: Kohli)
With no Mahendra Singh Dhoni in the team, it was a golden oppurtunity for Dinesh Karthik to impress the selectors both in batting and wicket-keeping but his efforts behind the stumps have made the fans miss Dhoni even more. A missed stumping gave Kumar Sangakkara a second life on 30 in the match against Sri Lanka. Sangakkara went on to make a match-winning 103.
In the next match against Pakistan, Karthik committed yet another howler, giving Shoaib Maqsood a second life at a time when he was involved in a crucial partnership with Mohammad Hafeez. This effectively gave Pakistan a chance to chase down the target. (Highlights)
According to former Indian wicket-keeper Nayan Mongia, Karthik's basic technique is wrong. "I think the basics are wrong. He doesn't squat and should realize that in the sub-continent you need to be on the lower side instead of just standing up . You just cannot judge the ball when you are standing up to the spinners or to the fast bowlers under pressure. I have always seen him fumbling," Mongia told NDTV.
One fumble that highlighted the lack of basic fielding technique was when there was absolutely no calling between Shikhar Dhawan and Ajinkya Rahane, which led to a collision and a dropped catch in the match against Sri Lanka. That mistake gave Kusal Perera a second life on 7 and he went on to make 64.
Bowling coach Joe Dawes is already under the scanner after a poor run by the fast bowlers. May be, it is time fielding coach Trevor Penney, who has been with the team for almost three years answered some tough questions too.