Shubman Gill spills, Rohit Sharma mistimes as India bring buttery fingers to Champions Trophy final, drop four catches
India dropped four chances after being asked to field first by New Zealand skipper Mitchell Santner at Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
Team India failed to bring their A-game to the table in fielding during the Champions Trophy final against New Zealand. The Indian fielders had butter fingers when it came to grabbing catches in the all-important clash, as they dropped four chances after being asked to field first by New Zealand skipper Mitchell Santner at Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
It was the seventh over when India dropped the first catch as Mohammed Shami failed to hold onto the ball on the follow-through. The Indian pacer also hurt his finger as Rachin Ravindra hit it straight towards him, and he tried to grab it with both hands but ended up dropping it. The physio had to come in the middle to strap his hand.
Ravindra had the luck running in his favour once again as Shreyas Iyer dropped another catch in the eighth over. It was a tricky chance as Iyer had to cover some distance to get close to the ball, and he managed to do that but eventually dropped it to give Ravindra another life. However, the Kiwi opener failed to make it big and was dismissed by Kuldeep Yadav for 37 in the 11th over.
Indian skipper Rohit Sharma was the third culprit as he dropped Daryl Mitchell's catch when he was batting on 38. The Kiwi batter pulled the ball at mid-wicket, where Rohit failed to hold on to the ball.
Shubman Gill also joined his skipper in the next over when he failed to grab Glenn Phillips's catch at the mid-wicket despite a dive. The 25-year-old looked disappointed with himself after dropping a regulation catch. However, Varun Chakaravarthy gave him a sigh of relief by getting Phillips out a couple of overs later for 34.
India third-lowest in catch efficiency rate in CT 2025
Meanwhile, India has dropped a total of 9 catches in the Champions Trophy so far—the most by any team in the tournament. They also have the third lowest catch efficiency rate in CT 2025, with 70 per cent, while Pakistan (60) and Bangladesh (66.6) are the only other two teams behind them in the tally.
