Haddin to Gill: India's Test Captain Needs 'Attitude Adjustment' After Fielding Failures Against England

Haddin Urges Shubman Gill to Adjust Attitude Ahead of Edgbaston Test

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

Former Australian wicketkeeper-batter Brad Haddin has called on Shubman Gill, India's new Test captain, to make an "attitude adjustment" following India's recent five-wicket defeat to England in the first Test of the Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy 2025 at Headingley.

The loss, despite India having five centurions in the match, was largely blamed on a poor fielding performance. The team dropped eight catches across two innings, ultimately enabling England to chase down a target of 371 runs successfully.

India's fielding errors proved especially costly in the case of England opener Ben Duckett, who was dropped in both innings. Duckett capitalized on these chances, 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 gave England 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 to start to leave now on this team. He needs an attitude adjustment," Haddin stated on the Willow Talk podcast.

The former Australian keeper also highlighted potential concerns arising from the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, suggesting a possible link between the tournament and the declining standards in catching.

"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 lackluster fielding overshadowed their batting performance, where they managed to post competitive totals in both innings. The pace attack, despite being led by Jasprit Bumrah, struggled to make a significant impact, further hampered by the dropped catches.

Team India is now preparing for the second Test match, scheduled to be held at Edgbaston Stadium in Birmingham from July 2-6, 2025. The team must address their fielding issues 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 build on their series lead.