Yashasvi Jaiswal is set to lose his gully position after dropping four catches in the first Test against England at Headingly.
India’s catching effort in the first Test was under par, with several fielders dropping catches. To address this, Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir has decided to remove Yashasvi Jaiswal from the gully position. The young opener is expected to take up a new fielding spot in the 2nd Test.
Jaiswal Set to Lose Gully Spot After Dropped Catches
India dropped a total of 7 catches in the match, with Jaiswal responsible for 4, the most dropped by an Indian in a single Test. These drop catches proved costly and contributed to England's 5-wicket win at Headingly.
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According to RevSportz, this decision was confirmed on Monday. Nitish Kumar Reddy and Sai Sudharsan have been tried out in the 4th slip/gully region to replace the left hand batter in the 2nd Test. The rest of the slip cordon remains unchanged, with Karun Nair at 1st slip, KL Rahul at 2nd, and captain Shubman Gill at 3rd.
Jaiswal was also seen working with Gautam Gambhir and assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate during a flat catch drill, with catches thrown from various angles a sign he’s being prepared to field at forward short leg or silly point.
Ten Doeschate Backs Jaiswal
Though the session was intense, reports suggest Gambhir was unhappy with Jaiswal’s effort and technique. However, later speaking to the media, Ten Doeschate confirmed Jaiswal will stand at short leg and backed him in that role:
“We always want depth in the catching department. In England, you're always going to have four catchers at some stage in the game. Yashasvi has been a very good catcher for us.
There's also an argument for short leg being a very important position, particularly if we are going to play two spinners. And we want to pick more guys in that position.
And maybe just give Yashasvi a break from catching in the gully for a little while. His hands are quite sore. We want to get his confidence back up.”
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India will be eyeing a comeback in the 2nd Test. Despite the fielding issues, Jaiswal remains an important batter, and fans will hope the left-hander gives India a strong start at Edgbaston.
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