Headline: India's Fielding Blunders and Top-Order Collapse Costly in First Test Loss to England, Claims Former Selector

Former Indian selector Kiran More has called for patience with the Indian Test team after their five-wicket defeat to England in the first Test. More pinpointed missed catches as a critical factor in the loss.

Yashasvi Jaiswal after scoring a century. Photo by George Wood/Getty Images

"We played very well for four days," More told IANS. "I think the mistake came on the last day when England played outstanding cricket. Fielding was where we slipped. Those were simple catches — no one drops those — and that made the difference."

England successfully chased down a target of 371 runs on the final day, taking a 1-0 lead in the series. Ben Duckett led the charge with a brilliant 149, supported by Joe Root's unbeaten 53 and Jamie Smith's 44 not out. This victory marked England's second-highest successful chase in Test history and their highest against India.

"In the first two days, we were really good, and I felt we could've added another 100–150 runs to our total. If we had scored 450 in the first innings, things might've been different. In the second innings, Rishabh and KL Rahul did well. But again, we collapsed at key moments."

India's first innings saw them post a strong 471, fueled by centuries from Shubman Gill (147), Rishabh Pant (134), and Yashasvi Jaiswal (101). However, a dramatic collapse saw them lose seven wickets for just 41 runs. England responded strongly with 465, with notable contributions from Duckett (62), Ollie Pope (106), and Brook (99).

In their second innings, India looked comfortable at 333/4, thanks to a 195-run partnership between Pant (118) and K.L. Rahul (137). However, another collapse saw them lose their last six wickets for 31 runs, eventually being dismissed for 364 and setting England a target of 371.

"We've got a good, balanced team, but this team is still in transition. I think we need to give them time — a year or so — to settle, find the right combination, and grow into a strong unit. We've scored over 750 runs across both innings, so the batting is there. But we can't keep depending on Bumrah. He needs support — especially from the spinners."

Jasprit Bumrah went wicketless in the second innings despite his best efforts. Prasidh Krishna proved expensive, and the dropped catches, especially of Harry Brook, proved costly.

"We've seen it before — from Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Sachin, to Kohli and Rohit. Now it's time for new faces to step up. They need time and support. If we keep playing like this and keep making the same mistakes, we won't improve. But give this group time, and we'll have a good team."

The successful chase was a historic one for Headingley, with this being only the third match in Test history where all four innings exceeded 350 runs.