Indian cricket and its overseas woes

India's woes in the slip cordon

India's slip cordon has been a worry for a long time now. India drop as many as 55% of their chances created by the pacers in slip cordon, i.e. virtually every second chance is dropped. With away tours lined up, this has to be on the top of the worry list.

What's the problem then? India's ground fielding and catching in general has been superb, in fact one of the best in the world. But slip catching is a bit different proposition to handle. R Sridhar, India's fielding coach, has to address this as soon as possible.

Firstly, they have to choose people that they think are suitable for being the slip fielders, a player like Ashwin, who did well as slip fielder in the 2013 Champions Trophy should be given a chance to take up the role. Even, Pujara for that matter has shown some promise. Slip catching will be even more essential in places like England, where the ball would swing and the ball would be flying past outside edges.

Catches being dropped is as good a concern as a miss firing Kohli is, because both are proven match winners. Even though it may seem a cliche, "Catches do win matches!"

With the number of away tours lined up in 2018, India will have to address these issues soon.