On Sunday, September 15, four days before India’s first Test match against Bangladesh is scheduled to take place at Chennai’s legendary MA Chidambaram Stadium, Yashasvi Jaiswal found it difficult at the nets. To assist the young player find his spark again, head coach Gautam Gambhir and former captain Virat Kohli intervened.
As per an article published in the Indian Express, Kohli was standing by the centre square of the MA Chidambaram Stadium, where the incident occurred, waiting for his turn to bat. Jaiswal’s middle stump was taken for a walk by Jasprit Bumrah as the ball got between his bat and pad. It’s not unusual to be written off to a generational talent such as Bumrah, but Kohli noted his persistent troubles against the fast pacer and called him for a conversation.
Even more worrisome was the fact that Yudhvir Singh, a Jammu and Kashmiri net bowler, Mohammed Siraj, and Akash Deep—who had tormented Jaiswal in the India A vs. India B Duleep Trophy 2024 match—all had the upper hand against the Mumbai batter. After the brief exchange with Kohli, Jaiswal went back to batting, but his problems persisted.
Gautam Gambhir pulls Yashasvi Jaiswal up for a 20-minute sparring session
Yashasvi Jaiswal was taken to the nets area for a 20-minute training session where he faced throw downs, with an emphasis on going behind the line of the balls, by Gambhir, one of the greatest left-handed batters in Indian history.
Earlier this year, during India’s five-match Test series against England, Jaiswal amassed an incredible 712 runs. But since that incredible performance, the child has pretended to be dishonest. He played a quiet season in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and warmed the bench during the 2024 T20 World Cup. As India prepares to play ten Test matches over the following three months, including the highly anticipated Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia beginning in November, Jaiswal’s form at the top of the order will be extremely important.
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On the plus side, though, the story implies that Jaiswal batted against the spinners with perfect comfort, hitting them for huge sixes on the on-side.