Our Bureau
Chennai
England defeated India by 5 wickets at Headingley in the first test match of the Anderson Tendulkar Trophy. India’s fielding in the first test was very questionable as they dropped 8 catches in both innings combined and it was one of the main reasons that led to them losing the match.
India’s test cricket legend, Ravichandran Ashwin came in defence of Yashasvi Jaiswal who was being scrutinised online for his poor fielding performance in the first test. The left-handed opening batter dropped 4 catches in the entire match and had an abysmal day out in the field. Indians fans were criticising his efforts and were urging the team to change his fielding position but Ashwin has urged them to cut him some slack.
The off-spinner stated that these are new conditions for young batsmen and it’s highly likely that he will take time adjusting to the foreign conditions and to the Duke’s ball. Ashwin explained how the Duke’s ball is quite different from the SG ball or the Kookaburra and is hard for the fielders to adapt to.
Ashwin,in a video posted on X, said, “There has been some talk about his catching at slip cordon. Yes, he has found it tough. But let’s all just understand something – and cut [him] some slack – which we often fail to do is how difficult it is to catch, not just in English conditions.”
“It’s cold weather and it’s also about the feel of the Duke’s ball. It can take some adaptation time. The SG ball feels nice and comfortable inside the hand, the Kookaburra feels smaller. The Duke’s is harder and definitely, from a field perspective, feels bigger and it’s not easy,” he added.
The recently retired off-spinner complemented Jaiswal stating that he is one of the most improved slip fielders in the current Indian setup. Jaiswal has proved it multiple times grabbing some fantastic catches in recent times. He has requested that Jaiswal should be given some time to adapt to the conditions and not be scrutinized so soon.
