Ahmedabad, Feb 20 (IANS) India bowling coach Morne Morkel has admitted that catching will be crucial in the decisive stages of the T20 World Cup 2026, as the Suryakumar Yadav-led side looks to tighten up its fielding after a series of dropped chances in the tournament so far as they march towards Super 8s where the Ben in Blue will face the 2024 World Cup runner ups, South Africa at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday.
Despite their batting and bowling units performing consistently, the defending champions’ fielding has emerged as an area of concern heading into the knockout rounds.
The hosts have been sloppy in the field during the group stage, dropping nine catches in four matches, which is the second-highest among the 20 teams. Only the Ireland cricket team has recorded more dropped catches (10), while the Namibia national cricket team is third with six.
Responding to questions about whether catching is becoming a worry at this stage of the tournament, Morkel acknowledged the importance of sharpening up in the field.
“That’s a valid question. One thing that we work hard on is our fielding. We know the importance of the catches, wherever we can cut down angles to stop the twos, to stop any boundaries,” Morkel said in the press conference ahead of the South Africa clash.
“But catching is definitely going to play a big part now in the business end of the tournament. Unfortunately, no catch is an easy catch, and the boys are putting the yards in and catching a lot of balls,” he added.
Morkel further stressed that taking half-chances could significantly impact the outcome of high-pressure matches. “That’s definitely one of our key focus points, to really even go for those 50-50 ones, because we know how that can swing and break the momentum of a batting innings,” he added.
Meanwhile, India is coming to the Super 8s while remaining unbeaten in the group stage, and they will look to continue the momentum.
–IANS
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