India have reached the summit clash of the Asia Cup 2025, but they won’t be too happy with how things have gone on the field. Despite an unbeaten run, India’s fielding has been below par, with 12 catches dropped in the tournament so far, including nine in just the last two games.
With the final just around the corner, the team will need to sharpen up, especially because, as the saying goes, ‘catches win you matches.’
Spinner Varun Chakravarthy opened up on the issue and pointed to the unique lighting setup at the Dubai International stadium known as the ‘Ring of Fire’, as a possible reason for the fielding struggles.
“As they say, you can’t give excuses at this level. As a team, we definitely have to start catching all those because we look like we will be qualifying for the finals, and we should be taking them,” Varun said, speaking to reporters after India’s win over Bangladesh. “It comes in the eyesight sometimes and it’s a little bit of disturbance. We have to get acclimatised to it,” he added.
So, what exactly is the ‘Ring of Fire’ and why does it make life tough for fielders? Let’s break it down below.
What is the ‘Ring of Fire’ in Dubai Stadiums?
The ‘Ring of Fire’ refers to the unique lighting system used at the Dubai International Stadium. Instead of traditional floodlights placed at four corners, the stadium is surrounded by a 360-degree circular array of lights built into the stadium roof, hence the term ‘Ring of Fire.’
Why Does the ‘Ring of Fire’ Make Fielding Difficult?
- Hard to spot the ball: Since the lights are spread all around the stadium roof in a circle, the brightness is even from all sides. This can confuse fielders when the ball goes high in the air it becomes difficult to see the ball clearly against the bright lights.
- No shadows to help judge the ball: In regular stadiums, lights come from a few towers, so players can use the direction of light and shadows to judge how fast or where the ball is coming. But in Dubai, the lighting is the same from all sides, making it harder to understand how far or how fast the ball is coming down.
- Ball gets lost in the lights: Especially in night games with a white ball, players can lose track of the ball for a moment when it goes high. That one-second confusion is enough to drop a catch and in close games, that can make a huge difference.