The blinding spotlight on Australia’s batting failures in the second Test against India has obscured the manner in which they were cruelled by horrendous fielding.
On the first two days of that Test, India did not drop a single catch, while Australia incredibly put down six chances.
All up, the hosts turfed seven catches for the Test – one per every 18 overs they spent in the field.
Those drops cost Australia at least 100 runs. That’s how many runs the reprieved batsmen went on to make in the wake of those missed chances.
Realistically, the damage was larger than 100 runs as he knock-on effect of a drop is greater than just the runs made thereafter by the reprieved batsmen.
Their continued presence at the crease deflates the bowlers. It also allows their own batting colleagues more time to impact the scoreboard.
Crucially, six of those turfed chances came in India’s first innings as they all but batted Australia out of the match by securing a 131-run lead.
The rot began for Australia in the fourth over of India’s first innings when Marnus Labuschagne fumbled an edge by rookie Indian opener Shubman Gill.
Gill, at the time, was being toyed with by the Australian quicks. He had either edged or played and missed seven of his first 12 balls in Test cricket. The young Indian looked rattled.
If Labuschagne had taken that catch, Gill would have left the ground with just five runs to his name and, surely, some doubts in his mind about whether he could handle the Aussie attack.
Instead, Gill survived. He was given a second life not long after when Tim Paine dived to his left and dropped an inside edge.
Those two let-offs allowed Gill to start taking on the bowlers, and by the time he was eventually caught behind on 45 Australia had let the debutant gain some crucial confidence, which he then displayed in the second innings.
Now Gill goes into the third Test with scores of 45 and 35* under his belt and, quite likely, no fear of this Australian attack. Had fellow young opener Privthi Shaw been this lucky in the first Test at Adelaide he may well still be in the side and blooming in belief, too.
Gill’s skipper Ajinkya Rahane was the difference between the teams in the second Test with a match haul of 139 runs. He guided India’s first innings, after they were in trouble at 4-116, and then steadied their chase as they fell to 2-19.
Rahane was fresh from a duck at Adelaide as India were bowled out for 36, the lowest total in their history. He was also searching for form after a disappointing series in New Zealand, where he averaged just 22 as India were thumped 2-0.
Ajinkya Rahane led India with aplomb. (Photo by William West/AFP via Getty Images)
Australia duly aided Rahane by giving him three lives in Melbourne. The first of those drops, by Steve Smith at slip, allowed Rahane and Ravi Jadeja to go on to build the match-winning partnership.
By the time Rahane was let off for a third time, when Mitchell Starc dropped him on day four at long on, the match was nearly over. Yet even that mistake hurt Australia. Had Starc pouched it, India would have been 3-57.
That would have brought to the crease the out-of-form and under pressure Hanuma Vihari, averaging just 15 for the series.
Get Vihari cheaply, again, and Australia have created a selection headache for India ahead of the next Test, as well as created some momentum to end the match. These are not pointless wickets, with the result already decided, they are psychological blows in a closely-fought series.
Instead, India ended the Test in a canter thanks to Australian skipper Tim Paine’s bizarre decision to hand the ball to part-time spinner Marnus Labuschagne.
India needed 10 runs to win at that stage. Star quicks Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc were both fresh, having bowled just six overs between them.
We saw the havoc Australia quicks caused in a matter of overs at Adelaide, what’s to say they couldn’t have grabbed one, two or even three more to dent India’s belief ahead of the third Test.
Instead, Paine lifted the white flag and chucked the ball to Labuschagne, who bled nine runs in one shoddy over.
This may seem like a small issue to pick up on. But these are the sorts of one-percenters teams talk about getting right. Australia should have made India sweat to the end of that chase. Rather, the tourists were gifted a comfortable finish. The same way they were gifted seven chances by the Australian fieldsmen.
Of course, had the Aussie batsmen pulled their weight, perhaps Australia could have overcome this litany of fielding errors to win the Test.
But media and fans have already spent plenty of time dissecting Australia’s failures with the blade at Melbourne.
They were obvious. Their rank fielding, however, was comparatively overlooked. No team can drop seven catches to the opposition’s one and expect to win a Test.
Tony Tea
Roar Rookie
And yet again we bungle a Test result with appalling catching.
anand
Guest
Is it anyway possible that the rest of the Indian team, without an overbearing Kohli, actually did better to bat and field well, including holding on to most catches? I am not sure that someone with the temperament and impatience of kohli is the guy to be captaining the Indian team
Simoc
Guest
Complete nonsense. Heads elbows hit the ground jarring the ball out. He probably won't do it again but until it happens to you you don't think it's possible. My guess is that you have never played cricket in your life. Comparing it to his batting is laughable.
Simoc
Guest
Pattinson is the most over rated bowler in test match history. He must pay to play. Mr Huff n Puff. The indians would love him to be selected.
Simoc
Guest
Obviously it depends how you rate catches. But some were like an AFL footy star missing from 10 metres from dead in front. Mr Smith I'm looking at you. The guys can catch. The problem is between the ears.
Simoc
Guest
Burns didn't return to form as he demonstrated in Melbourne. It was do or die in Adelaide with such a small target so he went for it and succeeded. Burns is better than Head at 6 but he has never been a good opener.
Rohan
Roar Rookie
Gill also reminds me of Graeme Smith, calm, balanced, in command of himself.
Pierro
Roar Rookie
That's great news smith maybe transformed if he's fired a few rounds off with the Mrs , it's been five months I think in bio bubbles
Pedro The Fisherman
Roar Rookie
Australia's poor fielding extends beyond the dropped catches to the overall poor fielding in general. Unusually, Australia does not have a Ponting type fielder at the moment ... a player that can apply pressure and change the game with their ground fielding. None of the current crop would rank as "excellent fieldsmen" Smith is usually a great catch (not a great ground fielder) but his poor form has extended to his fielding output as well.
Rohan
Roar Rookie
Reviewing the missed catches, they all seemed to have been rooted in technical failure. Mis-timed move – moving too far and the ball hitting the palm, so the fingers can’t close; moving too late so the ball is past the catcher. This is related to ball watching. Close watching of the ball means early, and accurate movement and is essential for perfect timing, it has to be maintained to finish the act, same for batting. You have to practice. Head’s drop was a lapse in concentration before the task was completed, mirroring his frequent mode of dismissal, gets a start then, makes a fatal error. Errors in both are evident in our team, they are professionals and capable of correct technique. No-one is infallible, but at this level, consistent failure in technique is a choice.
Mooty
Roar Rookie
Get rid of your chip CBC
Mooty
Roar Rookie
Brian it’s not up to Australia to set full Test series against other countries, that is the role of the ICC. If you think back the West Indies always played 5 Tests when they toured, but as their performance and drawing power dropped off both here and at home they were reduced to a 3 Test series team. There’s compelling reasons for 5 Test series against England and India, mainly the broadcast rights, which would be far greater than for any of the 3 Test series teams, and obviously the ability to pull decent crowds over a 5 Test series
Kopa Shamsu
Guest
Fantastic. Should be enough to get back smith into form.
Rossi
Roar Rookie
Partners quarantined I believe
badmanners
Roar Rookie
Kohli is still India's best batsman. Averages 54 in Aus, we couldn't get him out in the first dig in Adelaide, had to conscript Rahane to do a number on him. Pujara was superb last series but might be in doubt this series even if he were an aussie, averaging 15 isn't a great return. It's a superb bowling line up especially as Ashwin will do the Lyon job as he's worked out how to bowl in Aus. Bumrah is one of the very best bowlers I have ever seen. A constant threat. Australia are batting poorly, but India playing in Aus are very good currently.
Cricket before country
Guest
Well according to Cricinfo these are the test series NZ and Aus have played since 2015: NZ since 2015: Ausx3, Engx3, Pakx3, SLx3, SAx2, Indx2, Bangx2, WIx2, Zimx1, Aus since 2015: NZx3, Engx3, Pakx3, Indx3, SLx2, SAx2, WIx2, Bangx1(+1 to come this season) Which are almost identical, except whereas Aus have lost aways series against Pak or SL, NZ has drawn or won those away series. So yeah, how did Aus get ranked top, and I'm sure you were complaining then too, right? A longer series gives a superior side a greater chance to assert their dominance, as well as to get used to foreign conditions. It's party why series to determine champions tend to be the best of three or more. Two test series disadvantage those teams playing them, not the other way around.
Lara
Guest
If 5 test series are limited to a stuck up few only count the first 3 test when they play.
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
Something we broadly agree on. Captains need to know how to marshall a field. That is a non-discussable, non-negotiable attribute. We threw up a white flag when we bowled last in the last test. The chances we could've won were slim but to meekly allow India to slice and dice us it should've been a K-tel advertisement.
Brian
Guest
After so long they just need to go back in the bubble when the test starts otherwise he'll be exhausted
Kopa Shamsu
Guest
They were allowed out of bio-bubble?