Poor fielding show sees Iyer, Kohli, Kishan drop catches inside first five overs
India’s Shreyas Iyer attempts a catch against Nepal. Pic/AP; PTI
During the last couple of decades, Team India have played white-ball cricket the world over, but never has any match witnessed a small turnout of Indian spectators. But that’s exactly what happened at the Pallekele Stadium, where barely 1,000 people turned up for the Asia Cup match between India and Nepal. Of this, the majority were local Sri Lankans besides over 300 exuberant Nepal supporters which further lessened the number of Indian spectators.
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A major reason for this shortage of Indian fans is the Asian Cricket Council’s indecisiveness over selecting venues and late announcements, making it difficult for fans to plan their travel to this remote Sri Lankan city. Hopefully, the upcoming Super 4s matches will witness healthier support for the Men in Blue when they take on Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh or Afghanistan.
Poor effort
Coming back to the match against Nepal, never have we seen such a lacklustre effort from the Indians, where their fielders floored three simple catches in the first five overs. Shreyas Iyer in the slips, Virat Kohli in covers and wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan could not hold on to regulation catches. After the game against Pakistan was washed out in the second half, the Indian players were confined to their hotel rooms as it had rained heavily on Sunday. And it seemed that this lack of activity and the fact that they were playing minnows Nepal, may have led to this sloppy show.
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Obviously, the Indian players knew that their task was not akin to conquering Mount Everest. Yet, they had to be careful of that one per cent chance of an upset. With the rain threat omnipresent, the Indians preferred to bowl first, fearing that the match could be abandoned anytime. Since their batsmen had enjoyed a decent outing against Pakistan, the Indian team management wanted to ensure a good workout for their bowlers this time.
Gritty Nepal batsmen
The match against Nepal followed a similar pattern like the match against Pakistan. There were frequent rain stoppages. India would have hoped to wrap up the Nepal innings soon, but credit must go to the opposition batsmen, who showed grit and determination to put up a much better performance than they did in their 104 all out against Pakistan in Multan.
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