Haddin to Gill: 'Attitude Adjustment' Needed After India's Test Defeat

Former Australian wicketkeeper Brad Haddin has urged India's new Test captain, Shubman Gill, to address his attitude following India's recent five-wicket defeat to England in the first Test of the Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy 2025 at Headingley.

India captain Shubman Gill (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)

The loss, despite India boasting five centurions during the match, has been largely attributed to a subpar fielding performance. The team dropped eight catches across both innings, ultimately allowing England to successfully chase a target of 371 runs.

India's fielding errors proved particularly detrimental in the case of England opener Ben Duckett, who was dropped in both innings. Duckett capitalized on these opportunities, scoring 211 runs, including a match-winning 149 in the fourth innings. Duckett's stellar performance earned him the Player of the Match award and propelled England to a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.

"Every great team, no matter what year you're playing, the one standout feature they've always had is that they've been a great fielding team. And I think that is one legacy Gill has start to leave now on this team. He needs an attitude adjustment," Haddin stated on the Willow Talk podcast.

The former Australian keeper also highlighted potential issues arising from the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, suggesting a possible correlation between the tournament and the decline in catching standards.

"If you want to field well and compete the whole time, it's only attitude. You can do all your technical work off the field and have as many coaches as anyone, but it won't matter. Even in the IPL this year, the catching was horrible. And that could be a byproduct," Haddin added.

The Indian team's lackluster fielding overshadowed their otherwise strong batting performance, where they managed to post competitive totals in both innings. The pace attack, led by Jasprit Bumrah, struggled to make a significant impact, further hampered by the dropped catches.

Team India is currently preparing for the second Test match scheduled to be held at Edgbaston Stadium in Birmingham from July 2-6, 2025. The team will need to urgently address their fielding concerns to level the series.

England has already announced their squad for the second Test, with Ben Stokes continuing as captain. Key players such as Jofra Archer, Ben Duckett, Joe Root, and Chris Woakes are included in the squad, as they aim to extend their lead in the series.