Although Yashasvi Jaiswal scored a brilliant century on the opening day of the Leeds Test, the youngster had a torrid time in the field.The 23-year-old dropped four catches in the match as England won the Headingley Test by five wickets.Jaiswal also became the first Indian cricketer to drop four catches in a Test innings.Following his tough outing in Leeds, an old video of Jaiswal has resurfaced, showing the Indian opener squandering three chances in the field on Day 4 of the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.However, Indian cricket team head coach Gautam Gambhir has defended Yashasvi Jaiswal.“Catches do get dropped. The best fielders have missed catches. None of them did it on purpose,” Gambhir told reporters.
Jasprit Bumrah also addressed the slew of dropped chances in the field.“Drop catches, I understand nobody is doing it on purpose. And obviously, everyone is trying their best. In cold weather, the ball is sometimes difficult to sight over here as well. So, I do understand. But yes, some things are part and parcel of the game,” he had said.Former India off-spinner R Ashwin also urged fans and critics to cut Jaiswal some slack.“There has been some talk about his catching in the slip cordon. Yes, he has found it tough. But let’s all just understand something — and cut him some slack — which we often fail to do: how difficult it is to catch, not just in English conditions,” Ashwin said in a video on X.“It’s cold weather, and it’s also about the feel of the Dukes ball. It can take some adaptation time. The SG ball feels nice and comfortable in the hand; the Kookaburra feels smaller. The Dukes is harder and, from a feel perspective, feels bigger. It’s not easy,” Ashwin added.
