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The 2025 Champions Trophy final turned into a nightmare for India’s fielders as they endured a horror show under the lights at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. The Men in Blue dropped four crucial catches in the first innings, giving New Zealand extra lives that could prove costly in the high-stakes clash.
The culprits? Mohammed Shami, Shreyas Iyer, Rohit Sharma, and Shubman Gill. The lucky beneficiaries? Rachin Ravindra (twice), Daryl Mitchell, and Glenn Phillips.
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India’s Catch Efficiency Plummets in Champions Trophy 2025
India’s catching woes weren’t just limited to the final. With these four drops, their tally in the entire tournament rose to 11 missed chances in just five matches.
📉 Catch Efficiency Rankings in CT 2025:
- New Zealand: 🔝 91% (Best in the tournament)
- India: 📉 67% (Joint-second worst, tied with Bangladesh)
- Pakistan: ❌ 60% (Worst in the tournament)
India’s Worst ODI Knockout Fielding Since 2005
According to ESPN, this was the most drop catches by India in a men’s ODI knockout game since the 2005 Indian Oil Cup final, where they also spilled four chances against Sri Lanka.
How the Drops Unfolded
❌ 1st Drop: Mohammed Shami Misses Rachin Ravindra (7th Over)
Shami let go of a caught-and-bowled chance, failing to react quickly enough as Ravindra drove straight back at him. This marked his third missed caught-and-bowled opportunity in two matches, after dropping Travis Head and Steve Smith in the semi-final.
❌ 2nd Drop: Shreyas Iyer Fumbles Rachin Ravindra Again (7th Over)
Just four balls later, Iyer dropped another Ravindra chance. The left-hander top-edged a slog-sweep off Varun Chakaravarthy to deep mid-wicket, but Iyer misjudged the catch while running backward.
❌ 3rd Drop: Rohit Sharma Spills Daryl Mitchell (35th Over)
Mitchell pulled a good-length delivery from Axar Patel high over mid-wicket. Rohit leaped but the ball zipped through his fingers, adding to India’s misery.
❌ 4th Drop: Shubman Gill Lets Go of Glenn Phillips (36th Over)
Just seven balls later, Phillips pulled a shot off Ravindra Jadeja, and Shubman Gill sprinted from deep square leg, slid in, but lost control as his knee got stuck in the turf, letting the ball spill out of his hands.
A Nightmare Fielding Display in a Big Final
While India’s bowling and batting have been top-notch throughout the tournament, their fielding standards have been abysmal. With New Zealand’s clinical 91% catch efficiency, the contrast in the fielding department couldn’t be starker.
As the final unfolds, India will be hoping that these costly misses don’t come back to haunt them in their bid for the Champions Trophy title.
