India needs to invest in a particular player to master catching in the gully area: Sanjay Bangar

Former Indian cricketer and commentator Sanjay Bangar has stated that Team India needs to invest a lot in a particular player who can do exceptionally well with catching in the gully area in the longest format of the game.

Notably, Yashasvi Jaiswal, who was fielding in the gully area, dropped a total of four catches in the Leeds Test against England, which India suffered a five-wicket loss to start the series on a worrying note.

“It’s very important to not drop catches. It makes the job of the bowling department that much more tougher. But here I would say that this is also a fresh step forward for India. And wherever Yashasvi actually fields, basically, gully is a position in cricket which is a very, very specialized position. And that's where I think India will have to invest in a particular player to master the catching part in the gully area,” Sanjay Bangar shared his insights on JioHotstar’s “Follow The Blues” episode.

Furthermore, Bangar hailed Anil Kumble and Ajinkya Rahane were some of the exceptional fiddlers in the gully area in the past for the Indian team. He also asserted that gully position should be occupied by the team’s best fielder.

“Because I don't really remember too many great players who were consistently staying in the gully area. In my memory, Anil Kumble did that really well for India when he was playing. Ajinkya Rahane made that spot his own. But after that, there has to be real focus on developing a good gully fielder. Because that's where a lot of catches go. And it's a position that should actually go to your best fielder,” he added.

“As we say that the point fielder has to be your best fielder. But your best catcher actually has to be slightly wider in the slip cordon, maybe that four-slip area or even the gully region. And that's where a lot of those catches go. And it's high time that India thinks of putting a specialist there. And maybe that responsibility will have to be taken by somebody who's done the role of slip catcher for a long, long period of time,” he concluded.

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