"Fielding coach should walk around boundary line with leather belt"- Fans react to India's poor fielding in Champions Trophy 2025 clash vs Pakistan

Team India players faced the ire of fans following multiple fielding lapses during the match against Pakistan on Sunday (February 23). The two neighboring nations are squaring off in the fifth game of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

Pakistan batted first in the contest after winning the toss and scored 241 runs in 49.4 overs before getting all out. Saud Shakeel (62) and Mohammad Rizwan (46) were the top performers in Men in Green's batting department.

The duo batted through the middle overs phase of the innings, while Khushdil Shah (38) finished the innings with a vital contribution. India's multiple poor fielding efforts also assisted Pakistan during the innings. They dropped a couple of catches to give reprieves to the batters and let go of the chance to dominate the proceedings.

Fans took note of India's dismal fielding performance in the game and expressed criticism through their reactions on X (formerly known as Twitter).

"Fielding coach should walk around the boundary line with a leather belt in hand," a fan wrote.

"India's fielding in this Champions Trophy has been abysmal and could result in a devastating loss in a big match," a fan wrote.

"very poor fielding of India like Bangladesh last match.. still two easy dropped by Rana & kuldip.Both catches should be taken as it is a very High voltage match .. Fielding coach & Head coach immediately should look into the issue," a fan wrote.

"India's fielding has been below average, especially catching. It might not cost us much today but such drop will definitely cost big against more competitive sides like NZ, AUS, etc," a fan wrote.

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"Earlier, the ball wasn't coming onto the bat that nicely" - Pakistan's Saud Shakeel after 1st innings of 2025 Champions Trophy match vs India

During the mid-innings break, Pakistan batter Saud Shakeel reflected on his knock, saying that the wicket was a bit on the slower side. He said:

"I could have easily taken some more time there, it was not a good time to get out. Earlier, the ball wasn't coming onto the bat that nicely. Little bit of swing as well. As the spinners came, we made some runs there."

Shakeel added:

"The pitch was slightly on the slower side. We have to put up a fight there. If we take early wickets, we can put pressure on them. We have to strike early."

Team India have raced to 49/1 in eight overs in the chase at the time of the writing, with Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli in the middle.