Fielding in focus as India continue on World Cup path

There's a hum of intent in India's fielding drills these days. Within the setup, the word "mahaul" (atmosphere) is used often, and always with purpose. The idea is to build an energy so infectious that it can lift the team through even its dullest passages of play. That spirit was evident again at India's optional session in Canberra, ahead of the marquee "1 vs 2" T20I series against Australia.

Fielding, catching in particular, has been one of the few areas where India have struggled to match their lofty No.1 ranking in T20Is. Even during the recent Asia Cup, a tournament they swept without dropping a game, the fielding felt off-colour. Part of it could have been due to the ring-of-fire lights at Dubai, but 12 dropped catches - the most by any side - left a blemish on an otherwise dominant campaign.

Since the start of 2025, India's catching efficiency of 82.7% ranks only fifth among Full Members, a number captain Suryakumar Yadav is determined to improve as his team builds toward defending its T20 World Cup crown next year.

"According to me, the catches will get dropped. If you are a fielder, you will go for the catch, you'll drop. Just like how, if you are a batter, you will get out. Or if you are a bowler, you will try to land it right, but you won't get the wicket. These are all part of the game," Suryakumar said on Tuesday (October 28).

"But according to me, what you do after that is more important. Today was an optional session. But today everyone came to field. So that means the team is working towards something really special. And this is a department that I have said that we will have to work hard if we want to be the best fielding unit in the world. You see how many teams catch good catches, do good fielding, win matches on fielding. So if the batting is light or the bowling is here and there, but with fielding, if you do one thing right, you can win a match. So we are working hard.

"We are working hard on it. But there is no guarantee that if you catch 25 catches today [in training], you won't miss it again tomorrow. It can be missed. It's part of the game. But how much you want the ball to come to you, how you try to create that intent and opportunity, that is important for me. If the catch is missed, there is no problem. Obviously, there is disappointment. But at the same time, if you are putting in the effort, then there is no problem," he added.

For Suryakumar, fielding is as much about mood as it is about method. It's about creating joy and connection in a game that often isolates by role. "According to me, there is only one department - fielding - where everyone comes together. Otherwise, everyone's batting skill is individual. Bowling skill is individual.

"But there is only fielding where 11 people live together on the ground. So it is important to create an atmosphere there, irrespective of what is going on in the match. If the other team is at the top, you field well, you can win the game. So what I say is that when you live on the ground, create an atmosphere together.

"We met the T20 team for only two days for the team session. Before that, some guys were playing one day. So it is very important to have some fun on the ground. Because all these things reflect on the ground when you are in a pressure situation. Or when you know that the game is going a little tight. And how to create an atmosphere at that time and enjoy it. So all these little things come to mind then."

Beyond the collective, there are also personal goals, with the captain trying to find his batting rhythm again. One of the format's best batters, Suryakumar's 2025 has been lean with the bat: 100 runs in 11 innings, at an average of 11.11 and a strike-rate of 105.26. Yet his words, like his body language at training, suggest calm rather than concern.

"I feel I have been working really hard. Even before, I was doing it. It's not that I wasn't working hard before, I am still working hard," he joked. "I have had a good few sessions back home, good 2-3 sessions here. So I am in a good space. I think that is really important. Runs will come eventually but I think working hard towards the team goal... it's more important what the team wants from you in different situations and I take one game at a time and if it starts then I think it will be a good thing."