Former Indian fielding coach- R Sridhar- has come to Yashasvi Jaiswal’s side and backed the star opener amid the criticism that he has been facing over his poor fielding. The Indian opener was struggling while fielding, and dropped as many as four catches. Even though Yashasvi scored a century in the first innings, but his dropped catches caused major damage to the team’s chance of winning.
R Sridhar highlighted the different reasons behind Yashasvi Jaiswal’s dropped catches. As he spoke to SportsStar, he said, “Going on the first tour to England and adapting and being a good slip fielder is not an easy task. You can practice all you want, but in the match, it’s quite challenging. The conditions are very cold, so the fingers get very numb. And secondly, the Duke’s ball wobbles a lot as it comes towards you. It’s not easy to catch.”
“In England, sighting is very difficult. The Oval or Leeds are two of the most challenging grounds. Leeds has a slope which runs down from the pavilion side to the Kirkstall Lane end. And it’s very windy, and that messes with your rhythm and depth perception. Even England dropped catches. It’s not always about ability – often, it’s about conditions,” he added.
Apart from Yashasvi Jaiswal, some other players also dropped catches throughout the first Test against England. Needless to say, Indian fielding was below par. But apart from fielding, the under-powering bowling attack was also one of the reason behind the team’s defeat.
The second Test of the five-match series is going to begin June 2nd, and will be held in Edgbaston, Birmingham.
India’s Test squad for England series: Shubman Gill (C), Rishabh Pant (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Kl Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwan, Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sandul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav.
England’s squad for 2nd Test: Ben Stokes (capt), Jofra Archer, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Sam Cook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes.
