India vs Australia: How left is not right for Yashasvi Jaiswal | Cricket News - Times of India
Yashasvi Jaiswal (Photo by PTI)
NEW DELHI: India's promising young batsman Yashasvi Jaiswal experienced a tough start on the first day of the pink-ball Test in Adelaide, getting out on the very first delivery bowled by Mitchell Starc. This setback continues a worrying trend for him, particularly when facing left-arm fast bowlers, which raises questions about his technique. Jaiswal was caught off guard by an impressive delivery from Starc, who bowled a 140.4 kph ball that pitched up, angled in from around the wicket, and swung away at the last moment. When Jaiswal tried to play a flick shot, he completely missed it and ended up being struck in front of the leg stump. After a brief chat with his opening partner KL Rahul, Jaiswal chose not to challenge the umpire's decision and headed back to the pavilion without adding any runs to the scoreboard. This marks the second occasion in the series that Starc has sent Jaiswal back for a duck.
In the opening Test in Perth, Starc dismissed Jaiswal without scoring in the first innings. However, the left-handed batsman made a remarkable recovery in the second innings, scoring 161 runs and leading India to a convincing victory by 295 runs.
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A rising worry for Jaiswal is his difficulties facing left-handed fast bowlers, which is an issue he's dealt with before. This includes the wickets he has lost in the current tournament.
The 22-year-old has been sent off on five occasions out of seven innings.
In addition to Starc, South Africa's Nandre Burger has proven to be quite effective against him, managing to get him out three times during India's tour of South Africa in 2023-24. During the Boxing Day Test in Centurion, Burger had Jaiswal caught behind in both innings, where he scored 17 and 5 runs. India ended up losing that Test match by an innings and 32 runs. Burger continued his success in the second Test in Cape Town, where he dismissed Jaiswal while India was chasing a modest target of 79 runs. Jaiswal made a quick 28 off 23 balls before being caught by Tristan Stubbs after being bowled by Burger.
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Struggles against left-arm bowlers In his early Test career, Jaiswal has gone up against just four left-arm fast bowlers: Mitchell Starc, Nandre Burger, Marco Jansen, and Raymon Reifer. While Starc and Burger have given him significant challenges, Jaiswal has also found it tough to score against Jansen and Reifer. He only managed 8 runs from 16 balls against Jansen from West Indies and managed just 4 runs from 7 balls against South African bowler Reifer. Overall, his performance against left-arm pacers has left something to be desired.
Jaiswal's difficulties when facing left-handed fast bowlers suggest there might be a technical weakness that rival teams could take advantage of in the future. As the 22-year-old continues to compete in the current Border-Gavaskar Trophy, he’s likely to encounter plenty of left-arm deliveries. It’s important for him to adapt and improve his technique in preparation for future matches against the seasoned Australian fast bowlers.
