'It’s cold weather and it’s also about the feel of the Duke’s ball. It can take some adaptation time'
Yashasvi Jaiswal entered the first Test against England at Headingley with a sparkling century. He exited it under intense scrutiny — not for his batting, but for a torrid time in the slip cordon.
Despite India’s dominant batting display, which included centuries from Jaiswal (101), Shubman Gill (147), KL Rahul (137) and two hundreds from Rishabh Pant (134 & 118), the visitors suffered a crushing five-wicket defeat. England chased down 371 on Day 5 with 84 balls to spare — their second-highest run chase at home.
And in the post-mortem of the loss, Jaiswal’s name has emerged as a central figure — for all the wrong reasons.
The 22-year-old dropped four catches — the most by a player in a single Test innings — and each proved costly.
In England’s first innings, Jaiswal grassed opportunities to dismiss Ollie Pope, Ben Duckett, and Harry Brook. Pope went on to hammer 106 off 137 balls. Brook narrowly missed a hundred, dismissed on 99. Duckett added a vital 62.
In the second innings, Jaiswal dropped Duckett again — this time when the England opener was on 97. He went on to score a match-winning 149.
Kaif Backs Jaiswal, Cites Duke Ball Struggles
Former India cricketer and fielding great Mohammad Kaif offered a technical defense of Jaiswal’s struggles, attributing the issue to the use of finger straps and the feel of the Duke’s ball.
‘Why is Yashasvi Jaiswal dropping catches? We are practicing with Duke’s ball, and when we get hurt, we put a strap. In such a situation, the fingers are stuck and there is no free movement. You can’t hold onto the catch because the strap becomes a sponge. The ball bounces off it, so that’s the drawback. The natural connection with the ball shouldn’t be lost,’ Kaif explained in a video on X.
‘Let’s Cut Him Some Slack’
Veteran all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin also leapt to Jaiswal’s defense, urging fans and pundits to understand the difficulty of adapting to English conditions and the unique challenge of the Duke’s ball.
'There has been some talk about his catching at slip cordon. Yes, he has found it tough. But let’s all just understand something — and cut (him) some slack — which we often fail to do, is how difficult it is to catch, not just in English conditions. It’s cold weather and it’s also about the feel of the Duke’s ball. It can take some adaptation time. The SG ball feels nice and comfortable inside the hand, the Kookaburra feels smaller. The Duke’s is harder and definitely, from a field perspective, feels bigger and it’s not easy.'
Ashwin also pointed out that Jaiswal has shown real progress in the field recently, “He’s been one of the most improved slip fielders that India has had. He has taken some fantastic catches in the recent past, especially in Test cricket, so we should give him some time.”
Not Just Jaiswal
It wasn’t just Jaiswal who had a rough time in the field. Vice-captain Rishabh Pant and debutant Sai Sudharsan also dropped critical catches that helped England build momentum.
As India heads into the second Test, fielding — especially in the slips — will be a major concern. The batting may have fired, but the basics in the field must now match up if India are to bounce back in the series.
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