In a rare moment of fielding misfortune, Ravindra Jadeja—widely regarded as one of the sharpest fielders in modern cricket—dropped a regulation catch that stunned everyone at Headingley during Day 2 of the first Test between India and England. The incident unfolded during the seventh over of England’s first innings.
Jasprit Bumrah, having already set the tone with a dream delivery to dismiss Zak Crawley with the very first ball of the innings, was in the midst of a fiery spell. After five probing dot balls, Bumrah delivered a slightly short-pitched delivery just outside off-stump to Ben Duckett. The left-hander threw his hands at it but failed to control the shot. The ball flew off the bat and went straight towards Jadeja at backward point—a position where he’s plucked many stunning catches in the past.
WATCH – Jasprit Bumrah Dismisses Zak Crawley With A Dream Ball to Ignite India’s Defence at Headingley
But this time, the unthinkable happened. Ravindra Jadeja, who usually swallows such chances with ease, mistimed his jump and grassed the opportunity. Duckett, on 15 at the time, couldn’t believe his luck. Neither could Jadeja, who was visibly frustrated as he slammed the ball into the turf in disbelief.
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This drop was more than just a missed chance—it gave England’s aggressive opener a free pass to continue counter-attacking, especially when early wickets were crucial for India to capitalize on their first-innings total of 471. Given Jadeja’s otherwise stellar reputation in the field—with countless run-outs and flying catches to his name—this was indeed a rare blemish.
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India, already jolted by a lower-order collapse earlier in the day, would have hoped for sharper execution on the field. But in the unpredictable theatre of Test cricket, even the best can falter—and Jadeja’s miss proved just that.
