Stats: Indians with most catches in a Test

For every good bowler, it is equally important to have good fielders in the outfield to take catches. Although players are unlikely to be selected for the longer format based solely on their catching ability, it is certainly a valuable skill for them to possess. The best catchers are usually placed in the slips and the covers region. After the wicket keeper, the slip fielders are the most important fielders in a Test match, just because of the sheer number of chances that come their way.

In this article, we look at Indians with the most number of catches in a Test match. Although the list is mostly dominated by wicket-keepers, there’s one surprise mention in it. A lynchpin in the batting lineup, Ajinkya Rahane is the only outfield player to make the cut. During India’s tour to Sri Lanka, Rahane became the first non-wicket keeper to take eight catches in a single Test match.

No outfielder had managed to take more than 7 catches in a match and the 29-year-old walked into the record books when he caught Rangana Herath at slip off Amit Mishra in Sri Lanka’s second innings at Galle. It is heralded as a great achievement as no one had ever done that in 138 years of Test cricket history. Rahane took three catches in the first innings and five in the second innings. Thus, eight catches by a fielder and not a wicketkeeper is quite a commendable feat.

Amongst the wicketkeepers, present Test team gloveman Wriddhiman Saha claims the top spot in the list with his stellar performance in the ongoing Cape Town Test aginst South Africa. Saha took a maximum of 10 dismissals, the most by any Indian. All his 10 dismissals were catches. Veteran gloveman Nayan Mongia and ex-India captain MS Dhoni find themselves tied, both with eight catches each.

Here is the list of most catches by an Indian in a Test match: