Indian bowlers once again came a cropper as they failed to defend 209 runs in the first T20I against Australia at the I S Bindra stadium in Mohali.
Pacers Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Harshal Patel gave away 101 runs from eight overs. Add to that India's lacklustre fielding, which saw them drop three catches, including that of the game-changing Cameron Green.
India's sub-par day on the field fetched them stinging criticism from their former head coach Ravi Shastri.
Shastri was shellshocked at the quality of the Indian fielding, calling it sloppy.
'If you look at all the top Indian teams over the years, there is youth and experience. I find the youth missing here and hence the fielding,' Shastri said on air during the 1st T20I.
'If you look at the last five-six years, fielding wise, I think this side is no match to any of the top sides when it comes to fielding. And that can hit badly in big tournaments,' Shastri added.
'It means that as a batting side you have to get that 15-20 runs game after game, because if you look around the field, where is brilliance? There is no Jadeja. Where is that X-factor?' Shastri asked.
'What I was disappointed today with was the standard of fielding,' Shastri added. 'It looks sloppy. You need a big upping of the ante when it comes to the fielding if you have to beat big sides in big competitions.'
