Yashasvi Jaiswal Under Fire After Four Dropped Catches: Will He Play In India vs England 2nd Test At Edgbaston?
India dropped a staggering eight catches at Headingley — the most by the team in a single Test in the last three years. While fielding lapses can happen in any game, the sheer impact of these mistakes was glaring. England capitalized on nearly every dropped opportunity.
Among the biggest let-offs:
Ben Duckett, dropped by Jaiswal on 11, went on to score 62.
Ollie Pope, reprieved on 60, smashed a brilliant 106.
Harry Brook, dropped twice (once by Pant and once by Jaiswal), fell agonizingly short of a century on 99.
Jaiswal's final drop — Duckett on 97 — led to a match-sealing 149-run knock.
Jaiswal's four drops not only made him the top offender but also exposed India's fragile fielding under pressure, especially in English conditions where slip catching is paramount.
Gambhir's Intervention: A Technical Chat, or a Dressing-Down?
In the wake of the defeat, head coach Gautam Gambhir was seen having an animated conversation with Jaiswal during training at Edgbaston. According to a video shared by Revsportz, Gambhir, assisted by Ryan ten Doeschate, appeared to be offering corrective measures — focusing on short catching technique and positioning. Eyewitnesses reported that Jaiswal has been removed from the gully during practice, replaced by debutant Sai Sudharsan. The move suggests a strategic reshuffle rather than a punitive one.
Ryan ten Doeschate Breaks Silence: 'Jaiswal Needs a Breather'
India's assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate addressed the media on Monday, attempting to quell the speculation.
'Yashasvi has been a very good catcher for us. His hands are sore, and maybe we just give him a break from the gully. We want to build versatility in our fielding group. Managing his confidence is key right now,' said ten Doeschate.
The statement reflects a pragmatic approach — easing the pressure on a young talent already shouldering the responsibility of opening in English conditions, while reinforcing the team's intent to bounce back.
Redemption Awaits: Can Jaiswal Deliver With the Bat?
While his fielding is under the scanner, Jaiswal's credentials with the bat remain intact. He scored a century in his debut Test innings on English soil and still remains a key player in India's top order. With Shubman Gill leading the side, India will bank on their left-right combination at the top to counter England's potent pace attack.
Despite the criticism, the team management has not hinted at dropping Jaiswal from the playing XI — a show of faith that could reignite his form and confidence.
India vs England 2nd Test Preview: What's at Stake?
Trailing 0-1 in the five-match series, India must secure a win at Edgbaston to level the series. With questions around fielding, the bowling attack's inconsistency, and underwhelming lower-order contributions, the pressure is squarely on the visitors.
England, on the other hand, look to capitalize on the momentum, especially after clinical performances from the likes of Pope, Brook, and Duckett.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NDTV
an hour ago
- NDTV
'Still Inexperienced...": Ex-England Star's Clear Verdict On Shubman Gill As Captain Ahead Of 2nd Test
Former England cricketer Monty Panesar has advised India to be ruthless with the new ball and to put early pressure on the English batters is the way to win the second Test at Edgbaston, which starts on Wednesday. Despite posting a combined 835 runs across their two innings, India's bowling attack, barring Jasprit Bumrah, who delivered Zak Crawley's wicket in the first over of England's first innings, failed to impose themselves on the English batters, allowing them to navigate the tricky play and unleashing attack as the ball wore on, which, in an exclusive conversation with IANS, Panesar described as 'Smarter Bazball.' 'What we have seen with England, they play the first 10 overs very slowly because the ball moves around; it swings, and when the ball doesn't do as much, they will start accelerating the scoring. So what they're doing is they're playing smarter 'Bazball' cricket. 'What India must do is, with the new ball, they need to take wickets. That's what they've got to do and if they don't do that, I think they're going to always play catch up. They need, like they did in Australia, they were taking wickets with the new ball. Same thing they have to do here. The way to win Test matches is that India must take wickets with the new ball,' Panesar told IANS. It certainly was not a great start to Shubman Gill's captaincy as Test captain as India began their 2025-27 World Test Championship Cycle with the loss. Panesar believes that although Gill is inexperienced, his efforts should go into curating the best bowling attack. He believes Prasidh Krishna needs to be much better in English conditions and Kuldeep Yadav's inclusion as the attacking spinner can be a boost and also allow Ravindra Jadeja to take more wickets. 'He's still inexperienced as a captain. I think Prasidh Krishna bowls the Australian length. He doesn't bowl the UK length, which is slightly fuller, top of off stump. That's why I think if he does play, he needs to bowl the ball fuller. He needs to take wickets in his first spell. He can't be taking wickets, you know, later on. ' Kuldeep Yadav is going to be the attacking spinner if he plays, and Shubhman Gill, you should use him in an attacking role. I think Jadeja will definitely play because of his batting; he could be the defensive spinner. Jadeja being the defensive spinner, I think that will help him to take wickets. "So, if Kuldeep Yadav plays, Gill must use him as the attacking spinner, have attacking field sets. Have a field set that looks to take wickets. Kuldeep Yadav's job is to take wickets,' he added.
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Data check: What Bumrah brings to the table for India
New Delhi: India may maintain their silence about Jasprit Bumrah's availability in the second Test at Edgbaston until the last moment but England captain Ben Stokes said that they were not fussed about it at all. 'That's India's problem, they will deal with it,' he said. In the first Test at Leeds, the pitch was flat but the Indian bowling often looked listless yet Jasprit Bumrah found a way to create impact. (AP) It is India's problem, indeed. And a big one at that. Their plan with regards to how they will deal with it does not instill confidence, yet. With the bowling spearhead only available for three matches and the visitors having already conceded a 1-0 lead, they have a task on their hands. In the first Test at Leeds, the pitch was flat but the Indian bowling often looked listless yet Bumrah found a way to create impact. Bumrah's figures in the first Test might suggest a solid performance with 5 wickets in the match, an average of 28.0, but it's the comparative data that should worry India. While Bumrah struck once every 52.4 balls, the rest of India's bowlers managed a combined strike rate of 83.4. Meanwhile, his average of 28 is less than half of the rest of the bowling line up – 65.4. It's a stark contrast to how toothless India looked without him. On the scoreboard and to the viewer, he was the only bowler who looked capable of consistently threatening England's aggressive batting approach. Although he went wicketless in the second innings and no other bowler seemed up to the task either, he kept them in the contest by constantly beating the bat or building pressure. According to CricViz, in the first innings, Bumrah returned with a dot-ball percentage of 74%, compared to the others' 63%. In the second innings, his dot ball rate remained at 75%, while the others were again at 61%. For England, purely by numbers, Josh Tongue was the most impactful with 7 wickets, but in terms of impact on key moments, Ben Stokes and Brydon Carse made the bigger difference by removing India's top order, while Tongue mainly cleaned up the tail. That was the role Bumrah played for India – cutting through the top-order and exposing England's vulnerabilities. A closer look at the wicket breakdown suggests that the wicket quality is in Bumrah's favour. Bumrah removed three top-order English batters – Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett and Joe Root. Prasidh Krishna also picked up three wickets in the top order – Ollie Pope (1st innings), Crawley and Pope (2nd innings). Shardul Thakur picked up two wickets but only one of those dismissals came from the top four. Bumrah's absence means that India will miss not just a wicket-taker but a bowler who bends games back in their favour. Bumrah's consistency across World Test Championship cycles proves that. In matches where he takes three or more wickets in an innings, India have a win-loss-draw record of 15-9-4. Over the last three WTC cycles, Bumrah has displayed an astonishing level of control as a pacer, maintaining a dot ball percentage of 79-80%. His false shot percentage has steadily climbed from 20-21% to peaking at 28% in the 2023-25 cycle. In a nutshell, batters are playing fewer scoring shots and more bad ones against him over time. The coaching staff of Gautam Gambhir and Ryan ten Doeschate maintain that despite his unavailability in at least two matches, they can put together a winning XI. A single bowler cannot win you matches and questioning bowlers constantly means hindering the path to develop a pace battery, they say. But there is no denying that it is a mental blow. When Bumrah plays, his energy and accuracy bring a certain authority to the field. England's batters know they can't take liberties when he's bowling. Without him, India must find other ways to hold England back. But as the numbers show, replicating Bumrah is tough. Another option is adding another attacking bowler. One that England might hesitate to take liberties against. But if India believe that their lower-order batting and not their bowling is the primary area of concern as of now, it could be too late in the series before they address it.
Indian Express
2 hours ago
- Indian Express
Shubman Gill's dilemma: Don't know what to do with second spinner on Day 1
Had the Indian skipper Shubman Gill addressed the media after taking a look at the Edgbaston pitch, he would have had all the answers to most of the questions thrown at him. Like was the case in the first Test at Headingley, Gill started the press conference with a short disclaimer that gave him the license to stonewall any query about the team that will be taking the field on Wednesday for the second Test of the series where India trails 0-1. 'We are going to have a final look at the pitch today and see what kind of combination that we want to go with,' he stated. Attempts were made to get something out of him but Gill, only in his second Test as captain, came across as a seasoned pro. He spoke a lot but revealed nothing. Going by Gill's answers, the Indian playing XI wasn't decided till 1.15 pm local time on the day before the match. It was only after the media interaction was done with, that Gill would head to the central square where he met coach Gautam Gambhir and chairman of national selectors Ajit Agarkar. The ground staff would soon push the hovercraft-like pitch cover away for India's decision-maker to have a look at the surface. Gambhir and Agarkar kept a distance and Gill did the mandatory 'pitch-pressing' that captains are expected to do on match eve. Photographers clicked furiously. Post the pitch inspection, the three had a lengthy chat followed by Gambhir and Gill having their own small meeting. The two squatted on the turf and Agarkar, in the background, was having a word with bowling coach Morne Morkel, which was a picture that best captured the Indian team's dilemma. At around 2 pm, they all dispersed, possibly the calls had been taken. Unlike the English, who have retained the playing XI from Headingley, this was not a simple selection for India. During the 20 minute-press conference, Gill didn't confirm the inclusions and exclusions but he did share the doubts clouding the minds of India's think tank. Every decision, it seems, came with a difficult rider. On Monday, the team's assistant coach had said that India would play two spinners. Gill said the same and also the reason for it. 'In the last match, if we had an extra spinner in the fourth innings, the game could have been better. There were a few patches in the wicket that could have been exploited. And whenever Jaddu bhai (Ravindra Jadeja) was bowling, we felt that chances were being created,' he said. 'We felt that it's easier to contain the runs than pace bowlers. Especially when the ball gets old.' So will that spinner be Kuldeep Yadav? It was while answering the question, that Gill mentioned the trouble of playing two spinners in England. 'The only thing that you have to see is how you manage the second spinner on Day One, if you are bowling,' he said. His argument being that since the pitches help the pacers only a short while, the second spinner would have no role as pacers would get to utilise the temporary conditions. 'If at all there is anything on these kinds of wickets, it is only on Day One, in the first couple of sessions. So, we have to take a call on that and see how you would manage the second spinner on Day 1. That is the main call that you have to make on these kinds of wickets.' So what's the call? 'That you will know tomorrow.' Few questions later, Gill was pressed again. Wicket-taking spinner or containing spinner? 'I just want to see the wicket one last time before we decide on the playing XI.' At the end of the press conference, an English journalist reminded Gill about India's Test record at Edgbaston – in the 8 Tests, they have lost 7 and drawn one. 'I don't really believe in it. I believe the Indian cricket team that has come here is the best Indian cricket team and we are able to beat any side,' he said. But the challenge for India is to put the best playing eleven on the field on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Kuldeep Yadav and Arshdeep Singh – among the few Indians who turned up at optional nets – jogged, trained, got catches and did their nets. It was something they did before the last Test, the one they missed.
