Yashasvi Jaiswal leaves India worried after Bumrah act; Gautam Gambhir steps in after Virat Kohli's attempt goes in vain
On Sunday, Yashasvi Jaiswal left the Indian camp worried ahead of the start of the Bangladesh series, requiring both Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli to step in.
Yashasvi Jaiswal made a fabulous start to his Test career, which included a record 712-run campaign against England in India's last series at home. The stunning show even saw him break into the top 10 in the ICC Test rankings. However, the youngster has struggled for consistency ever since, including a quiet IPL season despite a century and then being benched in the T20 World Cup. On Sunday, Jaiswal left the Indian camp worried, two days ahead of the start of the Test series against Bangladesh, requiring both head coach Gautam Gambhir and former captain Virat Kohli to step in.
According to a report in the Indian Express, Kohli was waiting for his turn to bat and stood beside the centre-square of the MA Chidambaram Stadium where the incident unfolded when he watched Jasprit Bumrah send Jaiswal’s stump for a walk. Getting dismissed by one of the best bowlers of this generation wasn't a concern for Kohli or those who had their keen eyes on the training session, but his struggle against Bumrah urged the 35-year-old to pull over the youngster for a chat.
The struggle was not just against Bumrah, who got one to sneak in between his bat and pad to rattle against the middle stump, but also against Akash Deep, who earlier troubled the batter during their Duleep Trophy face-off a week back. Jaiswal was also not at ease against Mohammed Siraj and Yudhvir Singh, the net bowler from Jammu Kashmir.
Kohli, who had the best view of Jaiswal's batting, had a short conversation after Bumrah dismissed him, before he took guard again, but the struggle remained. Gambhir then stepped in and took Jaiswal to the nets area for a 20-minute training session where he faced throw downs, with a focus on getting behind the line.
A big responsibility awaits Jaiswal
India have a long Test season ahead. The team's primary focus will be on the tour of Australia later this year. As Nathan Lyon and Pat Cummins have admitted, they eagerly await a contest against Jaiswal after raising the bar with his attacking brand of cricket against England. The left-hander will
However, the report further revealed that Jaiswal did not show any struggles against spinners, which will be India's prime focus in the series against Bangladesh. On Monday, he was seen tonking the tweakers for big shots on the leg-side.