New Delhi - India captain Virat Kohli has demanded better catching from his fielders after they let England off the hook on the opening morning of the drawn series opener in Rajkot.
Alastair Cook was dropped twice in the first two overs after the England captain had won the toss and opted to bat while 19-year-old debutant opener Haseeb Hameed also got a reprieve, all three chances going down in the first hour.
Cook and Hameed added 47 for their opening stand to blunt
India's new ball attack as England went on to post 537 in the first innings.
Wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha then dropped Ben Stokes twice
on the second day and the left-handed batsman went on to punish India by
scoring 128.
"'Catch the ball' - that's all I can say to sum it
up," Kohli told reporters ahead of the second test starting on Thursday.
"We have caught really well in the last 12-14 months.
"In Test cricket if you don't take your chances then
the game is very difficult to pull back. I think that was the main difference
rather than skill or pitch or toss.
"If you take your chances, you have a team five down
for a 100 compared to three down for 250. It's a different ball game
altogether."
India will welcome fit-again opener Lokesh Rahul in the
second test with Gautam Gambhir, who made 29 and zero in Rajkot, set to sit
out.
"We had it pretty clear in our heads that KL is our No
1 choice along with (Murali) Vijay," Kohli said of the 24-year-old Rahul,
who joined the squad having recovered from a hamstring injury.
"When he is fit at any stage, he comes back into the
team and we are going to start with him. That was the whole idea behind it. We
were waiting for him to recover as soon as possible.
"In the meantime, Gautam got the chances that he got.
He played really well in different situations."
After the draw in Rajkot where India's spinners made little
impact, Kohli expressed his displeasure with the pitch which he thought had too
much grass.
"Generally in Vizag the pitch has always been something
that helps the spinners. I expect the wicket to do the same," the
28-year-old said.
"We played a one-dayer here, the spinners got a few
wickets here but at the same time the quick bowlers had a bit of assistance
early on.
"It's a wicket where obviously the spinners will find it nice to bowl on."