Opting to bowl first under overcast conditions on day one of the Lord's Test against England on Thursday, Team India would have hoped to make full use of the weather and run through England's top order as soon as possible. But things just didn't go to plan due to some sloppy fielding and questionable field placements.
India's coach Duncan Fletcher would have hoped that his fielders will hold on to what seemed to be two pretty straightforward chances. How costly will be these misses, only time will tell. But if India don't snap out of this soon enough, it may cost them the game.
While No. 3 batsman Jonathan Trott was dropped twice, the dangerous Kevin Pietersen was given a reprieve as there was no forward short leg, a position that could have taken a catch he lobbed in that area. Considering the bounce of the Lord's pitch, the decision to not have a fielder in that position was quite inexplicable.
Trott, who continued his dream run at Lord's by scoring a gutsy half century, was lucky to be at the crease at all by that stage.
In the first session itself Trott was given a life when he was on eight when the safest pair of hands in the team failed to hold on to an edge that was dipping. But those are the kind of catches you would expect RahulDravid to hold on to and he has in the past. This time he only caught disappointment. It was Harbhajan Singh's first delivery of the game and a wicket then could have well turned the tide of the game comprehensively in India's favour.
He was lucky once again as he should have been out for 32 in the second session when, having nicked Zaheer Khan, he saw India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni fail to move across to his right for a catch that was never going to carry to Dravid at first slip. Complete confusion between Dhoni and Dravid gave Trott another chance to pile on the misery on the Indian bowlers.
