Shastri wants Gambhir to show no mercy to Jaiswal, Nair and co. after repeated lapses: 'Go hard in that dressing room'

Former India head coach Ravi Shastri pulled no punches after the team’s five-wicket defeat to England in the first Test at Headingley, urging Gautam Gambhir to take a tough stand in the dressing room. Speaking to Sky Sports Cricket, Shastri said Gambhir must address the team’s issues firmly and hold individuals accountable for repeated mistakes, suggesting that he should even “tick off” players if required. Ravi Shastri tells Gautam Gambhir to take a tough stand in the dressing room(PTI/Reuters)

The fielding errors were glaring; India dropped five catches in England’s first innings alone, with Yashasvi Jaiswal putting down four across the match. Several of those were pivotal moments that allowed English batters to regain control and swing the momentum. The problems didn’t end there. Despite dominant top-order performances in both innings, India’s lower-middle order collapsed twice, allowing England to claw back into the match and eventually take the game away.

The lack of intensity in key moments, particularly in the field, only made matters worse and has sparked calls for a “hard” treatment in the dressing room.

“I think (there is) a big role of the coaching staff,” Shastri said.

"Take the positives out of the contest. As a captain, he (Shubman Gill) has done more than what can be asked of him. He got a hundred; there were five hundreds scored in the game. If anything, you want the basics to be done better. There are things that are out of his control.

"Dropping catches is not in his control. That's where the team as a unit can work harder and get better. Similarly, when you come to bat, you've got to put a price tag on your wicket. You can't come out and blow a situation where you can get about 550-600 by just being timid and meek.

“These are the areas where you've got to be hard at times as a coach, really hard in that dressing room. There are certain things where you tick off a few guys. But, there were a lot of positives in this Test,” said Shastri.

Missed chances

On Day 5, Jaiswal dropped the in-form Ben Duckett right before his century mark, and the opener went on to capitalise on the missed opportunity, smashing a brilliant 149 that steered England closer to victory. Over the course of the day, wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant also missed multiple opportunities to dismiss Ben Stokes and Joe Root off Ravindra Jadeja's deliveries.

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