Ravichandran Ashwin, a former Indian cricketer, spoke out in support of Yashasvi Jaiswal, saying he should not have been removed from the slip cordon. Notably, the teenager struggled on the pitch in the first Test against England at Headingley, missing four chances.
Ashwin also felt the senior players of the team might have shown more leadership and stuck with Jaiswal in the slips to maintain his self-confidence.
“We’re not sure if he requested it, but Jaiswal was released from the slip cordon. He was ignored. Of course, he’s made a number of catches in the slips, and if a drop takes you out, what does it do to your confidence? “I believe leadership comes into play when you can take responsibility for someone who is deflated,” Ashwin said in a YouTube video.
Ashwin sympathised with Jaiswal while acknowledging that he has faced similar experiences during his cricket career.
“Suppose you’re the captain and a fielder drops a catch. You know he always works hard and practices, so if he loses a catch, it’s because it wasn’t his day. One should not let his confidence wane. I can ask him, ‘Is everything okay?’ but many people adjust their fielding position right in the middle. It completely undermines a player’s confidence. “I went through the same thing,” Ashwin added.
Jaiswal missed his fourth opportunity, Ben Duckett at deep backward square-leg when he was three short of his tonne during England’s quest of 371. Duckett ended up scoring 149 before being removed, earning Player of the Match honours for his knocks in each innings. He was also awarded two life (on 11 and 15) in the first innings, during which he scored 62 runs.
India will face England in the second Test of the series at Edgbaston on July 2. The Shubman Gill-led unit will want to ensure that there are no lapses on the pitch as they attempt to draw level.
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