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Yashasvi Jaiswal's dropped catches in the first Test against England have drawn criticism. Despite scoring a century in the first innings, his four dropped catches, including crucial chances off Ben Duckett, have overshadowed his batting performance.
Young Indian opener Yashasvi Jaiswal displayed a disappointing performance on the field in the ongoing first Test of the five-match series against England at Headingley in Leeds.
Jasiwal scored a century in the first innings, followed by four runs in the second innings, but his sloppy effort in the field overshadowed his performance with the bat. The series opener has entered the final day, with England aiming to chase down a challenging 371-run target after India were bundled out for 364, riding on the batting brilliance of KL Rahul (137) and Rishabh Pant (118).
The visitors resumed their batting with an overnight score of 21/0 in six overs, with Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley batting on 12 and 9, respectively, needing 350 runs to win. The openers continued to frustrate the Indian openers as they steadily built their partnership, showcasing resilience and composure in the face of a challenging fourth-innings chase.
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4 catches dropped in a single Test match
Amid India’s lacklustre bowling in the second innings, Yashasvi Jaiswal’s poor fielding effort has become one of the talking points from the match. The young opener dropped four catches across two innings of the ongoing Test match at Headingley. In the first innings, Jaiswal dropped catches of Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, and Harry Brook.
Duckett, who scored 62 off 44 balls, would have been dismissed early by Jasprit Bumrah had Jaiswal held on to his one-handed catch. Pope’s innings could have been cut short at 60 instead of 106 if Yashasvi Jaiswal had taken his catch at third slip. Then, Jaiswal gave a lifeline to Harry Brook, who was dismissed for 99, after dropping his catch at gully when he was batting on 83.
The latest catch dropped by Yashasvi Jaiswal was Ben Duckett at a crucial juncture of the match, when India were looking for a breakthrough. In the 39th over of England’s run chase, Duckett attempted a pull shot off Mohammed Siraj’s length ball delivery, and it went toward deep midwicket. Jaiswal ran in and got two hands on a dive forward, but failed to hold on as the ball slipped through his fingers, leaving Siraj angry.
The three catches dropped by Yashasvi Jaiswal, all of Jasprit Bumrah, proved costly as England edged closer to surpassing India’s first innings total of 471, as they bundled out for 465, leaving the visitors with a slender 6-run lead.
Jaiswal's fielding lapses not only allowed England’s batters to pile on crucial runs but also dented India's momentum at vital phases.
Yashasvi Jaiswal draws criticism from fans
After Yashasvi Jaiswal dropped the fourth catch of the match, fans expressed their disappointment on social media, especially X (formerly Twitter), for their careless fielding and lack of focus in the match.
Many took to their X handle and criticized the young opener for dropping a crucial catch of Ben Duckett on 98 before completing his first century of the series, while others wanted him to be dropped from the team as a punishment for his repeated fielding lapses, arguing that such mistakes are unacceptable at the international level, which could prove costly for India.
Meanwhile, England posted a total of 181/0 after 41 overs, with Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley batting on 105 and 59, needing 190 runs to win the match before the rain stopped play. After the match resumed, Team India finally got a first breakthrough as Prasidh Krishna removed Crawley at 188/1, ending a formidable opening partnership that had put England in a commanding position.
Then, Krishna struck again by dismissing Ollie Pope for 8 at 206/2 to give India a little relief in their quest to defend the 371-run target. After Pope’s dismissal, Ben Duckett was joined by Joe Root at the crease to carry on England’s run chase.
