India punish Yashasvi Jaiswal ahead of 2nd England Test; youngster 'low on confidence' after Leeds drop-a-thon: Report

India’s poor fielding display was one of the talking points as the visitors crumbled to a shock defeat against England in the opening Test in Leeds. To compensate for that, Gautam Gambhir and his management staff have reportedly decided to remove Yashasvi Jaiswal from the slip region, after the opener was criticised for his poor fielding. India's Yashasvi Jaiswal misses a catch in the opening Test.(Action Images via Reuters)

In the batting front, Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul and Shubman Gill got centuries in the opening Test, and Rishabh Pant registered twin tons. But in the bowling department, India’s overreliance on Jasprit Bumrah was totally exposed. Meanwhile, the fielding also had to share the blame as there were plenty of errors, especially from Jaiswal. The opener, who was placed in the slip cordon, dropped four catches in the match, which proved to be decisive moments.

According to a Revsportz report, Sai Sudharsan, Karun Nair were part of the slip cordon during Monday’s training session, alongwith Nitish Kumar Reddy and Shubman Gill. The report also mentions that Sudharsan ad Reddy rotated between fourth slip and gully, with Nair taking over the first slip role. Meanwhile, Rahul and Gill also performed as second and third slip.

Meanwhile, Gambhir and assistant coach Ryan Ten Doeschate were reportedly working with Jaiswla no a separate flat catching session. He could reportedly fill in at forward short leg or silly point.

Also, Aussie legend Greg Chappell recently pointed out that Jaiswal could be ‘low on confidence’ as the dropped catches weren’t technical errors, or he could also be ‘suffering a hand injury’.

Writing for ESPNcricinfo, he wrote, “India dropped several catches in Leeds, and while Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ravindra Jadeja were among those involved, both are usually safe hands. The drops I saw didn't look technical - they just didn't stick. It can happen to the best. That said, Jaiswal gives the impression of being low on confidence, or that he is suffering a hand injury. He seems to be hoping to catch them rather than expecting to. One of his missed chances came with him running in from the boundary - a low, skimming catch. For my money, that's one of the hardest in cricket.”

“With the advent of more white-ball cricket, the specialist slip fielder is not getting as many opportunities as was once the case. All the more reason why catching practice, in particular, has to be as game-like as possible.”

After the opening Test, Jaiswal was defended by Mohammad Kaif, with the former player pointed out that he was wearing a tape on his hand due to injury, which contributed to the dropped catches.

Click here to read article