India's first Test of their five-match tour of England 2025 started off with a five-wicket loss as the hosts chased down 371 runs on the Day 5 at Headingley.
Notably, this was the first time in Test history that, despite five batters scoring centuries for India, the team still ended up on the losing side. One big reason? Dropped catches across both innings.
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Among the many fielders who dropped catches, Yashasvi Jaiswal's missed chances cost India badly. The opener dropped four clear catches across two innings, which influenced the result of the match, as England batters went on to score big thereafter.
Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif, who was a great fielder, has an explanation for the possible reason behind Jaiswal's catch drops at Headingley.
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IND vs ENG: Band on Yashasvi Jaiswal's hand blamed for dropped catches
In the latest video posted by Kaif on the evening of Jun. 25 on his Twitter account (@MohammadKaif) pointed out the strapping on the base of the 23-year-old's fingers restricting the movement in the cold English conditions and suggested fielding without the band to have a better range of motion.
"We [India] could have won the match with 1.5 bowlers had we held on to our catches," Kaif said.
"Why is Jaiswal dropping the catches? Imagine I have an injury on the base of my fingers with the Dukes balls and cold weather and I feel pain -- so I cover it with the strapping [like Jaiswal]. My fingers are now stuck. I cannot have the natural free movement with the tight strapping."
"It has now become like a sponge, and the ball will now bounce off it. If I field without the strapping, I can now freely move my fingers; they are flexible and can grab the ball very naturally. You should not let go of the natural feel of the ball with your palms," he further explained.
See Kaif's explanation below:
Why is Yashasvi Jaiswal dropping catches? The reason could be the band on his palm. Listen. pic.twitter.com/FP1O8xFwQj
— Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) June 25, 2025
Jaiswal batted beautifully in the first innings, scoring 101(159) to put his team in a dominant position before the collapse. But his dropped catches were also one reason India lost an advantage throughout the Test match.
England kept fighting back in the game and chased the target of 371 after trailing by six runs after their first innings.