‘Nobody will drop a catch on purpose’ – Bowling coach Morne Morkel on India’s lacklustre fielding in T20 World Cup 2026 ahead of semi-final vs England

Morne Morkel. (Photo Source: Twitter/X)

India’s bowling coach Morne Morkel asserted that the team puts a lot of emphasis in the fielding department. His remark came while speaking about the lacklustre fielding performance of the Men in Blue during the ongoing T20 World Cup.

India have dropped as many as 13 catches in the tournament. No other team has dropped as many catches in the marquee event this year. In their last game against the West Indies, Abhishek Sharma dropped two regulation chances, while Tilak Varma also let one catching opportunity go.

India face England in the second semi-final at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday, March 5. The Three Lions have fared much better as a fielding unit. Tom Banton has taken the second-most catches in the tournament (10).

Morkel said that one of the key areas where the Indian players worked on heading into the 20-team tournament was the fielding. The former South African pacer added that no player drops catches on purpose. However, he refused to answer whether dropping catches has anything to do with mindset of the players.

“Nobody will look to drop a catch on purpose. It’s not like we don’t train it. I mean, there’s a lot of focus going into our fielding, and that was one of the key points heading into the World Cup here. So the guys do train and work hard on our fielding. At times, is it a mindset thing? I can’t answer that,” Morkel said while speaking at the pre-match press conference.

After New Zealand comprehensively defeated South Africa in the first semi-final, they will watch Thursday’s clash between India and England with keen interest. The winner of the India versus England clash will square off against the Black Caps at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, March 8.

While talking about areas which need improvement, Morkel said that attention should be on the specifics and getting the best players into fielding hotspots. The 41-year-old added that the onus will be on the players to take up the responsibility to enter these hot zones and do the extra bit of work.

“But yeah, for us, it’s just to keep on doing the hard work. Really focusing on specifics, getting certain players into the hotspots in the right areas. And, at times, it’s hard to do that because you’re also working against over-rate. So that’s the responsibility that the players need to take on the field. Find yourself in a position in the hot zones and to work a little bit extra. And if we can get the right players in those positions, hopefully we can take the catches,” said Morkel.

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