Gill Faces Scrutiny: Haddin Calls for 'Attitude Adjustment' After India's Test Loss to England

Former Australian wicketkeeper Brad Haddin has advised India's new Test captain, Shubman Gill, to make an "attitude adjustment" following India's recent five-wicket loss 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 defeat, despite India boasting five centurions in the match, was largely due to a subpar fielding performance, with the team dropping eight catches across two innings. This allowed England to successfully chase a target of 371 runs.

India's costly fielding errors were particularly evident 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 was named Player of the Match, helping England take 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.

Haddin also pointed to the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 as a potential contributing factor to the declining 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 fielding performance overshadowed their batting display, where they managed to post competitive totals in both innings. The pace attack, led by Jasprit Bumrah, struggled to make an impact, further hampered by the dropped catches.

Team India is now preparing for the second Test match, which is scheduled to take place at Edgbaston Stadium in Birmingham from July 2-6, 2025. The team must address their fielding concerns to level the series.

England has announced their squad for the second Test, with Ben Stokes continuing as captain. The squad includes key players like Jofra Archer, Ben Duckett, Joe Root, and Chris Woakes.