Yashasvi Jaiswal started the five-Test series against England with a magnificent century in the first innings at Headingley. But the impact of that was diluted a fair bit by his lapses in the field. Dropped catches offered by the likes of Ollie Pope, Harry Brook and Ben Duckett – on the final day – proved hugely costly as India went down by five wickets despite setting England a whopping 371 to win.
Ahead of the second Test at Edgbaston, Jaiswal appeared to have paid the price for those mistakes. He was nowhere to be seen in the cordon that was given slip catching practice on Monday morning. Instead, it was Karun Nair at first slip, KL Rahul at second and Shubman Gill, the skipper, at third. In the fourth slip-gully position in which Jaiswal had fielded in Leeds, India tried out both Sai Sudharsan and Nitish Kumar Reddy.
Sudharsan made his debut at No. 3 in Leeds, but Reddy being tried out in the cordon was a strong sign that he will be drafted into the XI in Birmingham. He was one of India’s standout players in Australia, scoring nearly 300 runs inclusive of a century in the Boxing Day Test, and Shardul Thakur’s underwhelming display at Headingley has opened the door for his return.
As for Jaiswal, he was given special practice on his own by Gautam Gambhir, the coach, and Ryan ten Doeschate, his assistant. For close to 15 minutes, Jaiswal had to take flat catches, and the manner in which his reflexes were tested suggested he would be asked to field either at silly point or forward short leg in the upcoming game.
With Jasprit Bumrah likely to sit out this game – the third Test at Lord’s starts just four days after the scheduled final day in Birmingham – India face a challenge to balance their XI. The Leeds defeat, despite the batting unit scoring five centuries (two of them for Rishabh Pant), raised serious questions of the bowling resources.
But as poorly as the support cast bowled, the eight dropped catches played into England’s hands. Headingley is notorious as a ‘tough-catching’ ground, but no such excuses will wash if India turn up with butterfingers again in Birmingham.
