R Ashwin defends Yashasvi Jaiswal after opener's fielding woes in 1st Test: ‘Dukes ball feels a little bigger and harder'
With Yashasvi Jaiswal facing quite a bit of flak due to his dropped catches during India's defeat to England in the 1st Test at Leeds, veteran bowler Ravichandran Ashwin defended the youngster and called for a perspective in the situation. Jaiswal, as well as Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah and Rishabh Pant had dropped catches during the match at Headingley which ultimately proved too costly for India, who lost to the hosts by 5 wickets.
'Jaiswal has been one of the most improved fielders in the slip cordon… The Dukes ball feels a little bigger and harder. So, that feel is very important. You know how much sledging is done by the crowd. So, I do feel for Yashasvi,' Ashwin said in his YouTube show Ash Ki Baat.
On Wednesday, former India player Mohammad Kaif, known for his excellent fielding in his heyday, had also explained the reason why Jaiswal may have dropped those crucial catches.
'Why is Yashasvi Jaiswal dropping catches? We are practicing with Duke's ball, and when we get hurt, we put a strap. In such a situation, the fingers are stuck and there is no free movement. You can't hold onto the catch because the strap becomes a sponge. The ball bounces off it, so that's the drawback. The natural connection with the ball shouldn't be lost,' he said on his YouTube channel.
Coming back to Ashwin, the recently retired player also advocated for Kuldeep Yadav's return in the second Test, beginning July 2 in Birmingham.
'I want to see how England go about when they face him. If Kuldeep can get you a 3/100 and reduce the first-inning score to 350, then you have a lead of 125,' he said.
'I 100 per cent believed that Kuldeep had a role and he would be a decisive factor. If Kuldeep had played, it might have been a different game,' he added.
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