Gill Needs "Attitude Adjustment," Warns Aussie Legend After Test Loss

Former Australian wicketkeeper Brad Haddin has challenged India's newly appointed Test captain, Shubman Gill, to reassess his approach following India's recent five-wicket loss to England in the inaugural Test of the Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy 2025 at Headingley.

India captain Shubman Gill during the first Test match.

The defeat, despite India boasting five centurions across both innings, has been largely attributed to subpar fielding, with the team dropping eight crucial catches. This ultimately enabled England to successfully chase down a target of 371 runs.

The dropped catches proved especially costly in the case of England opener Ben Duckett, who was dropped in both innings. Duckett capitalized on these errors, scoring a total of 211 runs, including a match-winning 149 in the fourth innings. His 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 wicketkeeper also raised concerns about the potential impact of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 on fielding standards, suggesting a possible link between the tournament and the observed decline in catching.

"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.

India's lackluster fielding overshadowed a strong batting performance, where the team managed to post competitive totals in both innings. While the pace attack, led by Jasprit Bumrah, struggled to make a significant impact, their efforts were further undermined by the dropped catches.

Looking ahead, Team India is preparing for the second Test match, scheduled to be held at Edgbaston Stadium in Birmingham from July 2-6, 2025. The team must 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 England aims to extend their lead in the series.