Sunil Gavaskar, a former Indian cricket hero, raised concern after teenager Yashasvi Jaiswal dropped four catches during the first Test against England at Headingley, Leeds, in which India lost by five wickets in the closing session on Day 5.
Gavaskar brought up a technical concern with fielding gear, arguing that the webbing allowed on a fielder’s fingers and hands should not extend past the point of junction between the fingers and the palm. He stated that excessive webbing could reduce flexibility and lead to missed opportunities.
Jaiswal had a particularly difficult day in the field, losing three catches in the first innings, including a critical one at third slip that could have removed Harry Brook. Despite a diving attempt to capture Ben Duckett in the second inning, he missed another opportunity.
“Players should not be allowed to wear webbing after that point.” Otherwise, you may as well wear gloves. I believe that umpires should do the same thing that batters do when they come out to bat or boxers do when they enter the ring. “They should say, ‘Hello! Sorry, you cannot have it over there,'” Gavaskar remarked after the game.
“It’s been happening for the past three to five years. “Every team has at least one or two fielders with this,” he noted.
Jaiswal struck a spectacular century in the first innings.
This was the left-handed opener’s debut match on English soil, and he honoured it with his first Test century. He demonstrated discipline and control, scoring 101 runs off 157 balls and confidently driving England’s bowlers throughout his innings. His performance was critical in helping India to a commanding lead of 359 for 3 in 85 overs at the end of Day 1 of the first Test.
“We made a lot of preparations before coming here. It was a lot of fun to play, and it felt great to bat. “I really enjoyed it and learnt a lot,” Jaiswal told Star Sports.
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