Former Three Lions pace bowling stalwart Stuart Broad weighed in on the factors conspiring against fielders, resulting in several dropped chances during the first Test between England and India at Headingley. ‘Catches win matches’ has been a phrase that has stuck with cricket throughout its evolution. India and England have had to bite the bullet throughout the four days of the opening Test. India dropped a whopping six catches in the first innings, and Yashasvi Jaiswal, who impressed with a century, was guilty of dropping 50 per cent of those chances.

He endured a torrid time on the field, floored three valuable chances, and gave a lifeline to Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, and Harry Brook. Apart from Jaiswal, wicketkeeper and vice-captain Rishabh Pant and debutant Sai Sudharsan spilt match-turning opportunities.

In the other camp, England, too, was culpable of spilling away catching chances while tussling for the upper hand. On Day 4, Harry Brook dropped Rahul on 58, who eventually punished England by tonking a century, while Duckett gave a breather to Sudharsan earlier in the second innings.

Broad empathised with both sides and highlighted how Headingley’s surroundings make it hard for batters to keep track of the ball. According to the former England pace spearhead, the overcast conditions add to the exacting task of getting hold of the Dukes.

“I have more empathy for fielders dropping catches now that I am not playing, and they are not coming off my bowling! Headingley is a difficult viewing ground – you can lose the ball in the stands, and when the clouds are in, certain bits are a bit darker. You only have to lose sight for 0.1 of a second and you gets tense,” Broad said on Sky Sports.



“I think it can be quite a difficult place to catch, to be honest. Do you know what actually makes it harder? It’s the crowd. When it gets a bit colder, the crowd have different coloured coats on, and there’s a couple of empty seats in the stands as well, so the ball comes out a bit differently from the crowd,” he explained.

“And also, when the sun’s not out, when the clouds are in, it can just be a little bit darker in certain parts of the ground.”

After a hushed opening session, Rahul and Pant upped the ante to open the floodgates, which led to swift runs. The duo bustled and adopted a highly aggressive approach against England’s sole frontline spinner, Shoaib Bashir, and maintained it against the lacklustre deliveries from the inexperienced pacers.

Rahul thwacked the ball towards the wide of the sweeper cover and sprinted for a double to add another feather to his cap to extend India’s dominance and push for a result as the fate of the Test hangs in the balance.