Calcutta: India’s fielding coach Trevor Penney has backed Cheteshwar Pujara, who dropped England captain Alastair Cook at first slip early in his innings on Thursday.

“Pujara has been practising a lot in the slips. He’s been one of our better slip fielders over the last month or so. I know he dropped a catch which was pretty crucial but that happens in cricket. He (Pujara) got both hands to it but he just dropped it,” Penney said.

Asked about specialist slip fielders, Penney said: “It’s different from those old days when you go in and never come out again and then you become a slip specialist. It’s changing a little bit in general…”