A thumping win hides India's sloppy catching woes in Dubai

Few contests in cricket match the electricity of an IND-PAK duel, and Dubai delivered yet another spectacle. India eased to a seven-wicket victory, extending their dominance to a 12-3 record in Asia Cup encounters.

Yet beneath the fireworks with the bat and the skill with the ball, there was one persistent concern - India's fielding was noticeably below par.

Butter fingers on a big stage

The early exchanges told a different story from the scoreboard. PAK was wobbling when Sahibzada Farhan skied Hardik Pandya in the very first over, only for Abhishek Sharma to make a complete mess of what should have been a regulation boundary catch. The lapse gave PAK a lifeline. Later, Abhishek compounded his misery with another fumble at the ropes off Varun Chakravarthy.

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Kuldeep Yadav, otherwise the wrecker-in-chief with the ball, was guilty too. He grassed a sitter at short fine leg when Saim Ayub misjudged a top edge. These missed opportunities proved costly in the short term, allowing PAK to surge to 55/1 in the powerplay - their highest against India in T20 internationals, even bettering the 54/0 in Ahmedabad back in 2012. By the 10-over mark, PAK had galloped to 91/2, their best start in Asia Cup history against India.

The numbers tell a tale

While India’s eventual victory mitigated the damage, the statistics reveal an uncomfortable pattern. According to Cricbuzz data, India’s catching efficiency in the Asia Cup 2025 is just 71.4%, placing them only ahead of Sri Lanka (64.7%) and Hong Kong (52.1%). For a team chasing continental glory, such inefficiency is a glaring weakness.

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The consequence of those drops was immediate. Farhan converted his reprieves into a 58-run innings, while Ayub, also let off early, assembled a dangerous 72-run partnership that kept PAK in the contest. Had India capitalised on those moments, PAK’s total might have been closer to 120 than the 170-plus they managed.

Signs of redemption, but room for worry

Abhishek Sharma partly redeemed himself with a spectacular effort in the deep to finally dismiss Ayub, sprinting across the pitch and diving full length to grasp the ball. It was the highlight reel moment of India’s fielding night. Yet isolated brilliance cannot mask a wider issue. Shubman Gill also dropped a straightforward chance in Bumrah’s final over, further emphasising that lapses were not confined to just one or two players.

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India’s fielding has historically set the standard in white-ball cricket. At their best, they turned half-chances into breakthroughs and made opponents think twice about a quick single. In Dubai, however, the team appeared ordinary, even jittery, giving PAK’s struggling line-up chances they did not deserve.

Catching up before it costs

For now, India can take comfort in the cushion of victories and the blistering form of their top order. Abhishek’s explosive 74 off 39 balls, Shubman's (47) silky strokes, and Tilak Verma’s (30) finishing flourish ensured the batting masked the cracks. The bowling unit, too, led by Kuldeep, Hardik Pandya, and Shivam Dube, had enough firepower to seal the game.

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But in the unforgiving terrain of a multi-nation tournament, such lapses can snowball. The margins in the knockout stages are razor-thin, and a dropped catch could be the difference between a place in the final and a painful exit.

The Men in Blue remain favourites, but if their catching continues to wobble, the question will linger — could butter fingers undo all the hard work?