NEW DELHI: India’s young batting sensation Yashasvi Jaiswal had a disappointing outing on the opening day of the pink-ball Test in Adelaide as he was dismissed off Mitchell Starc‘s first ball. This marked a worrying continuation of his struggles against left-arm pacers in Test cricket, raising concerns about a potential technical vulnerability.
Facing the first ball of the day-night match, Jaiswal was undone by a stunning delivery from Starc. The Australian left-arm quick bowled a 140.4 kph pitched-up delivery, angling in from over the wicket and swinging away late. Jaiswal, attempting a flick, missed the ball entirely and was struck plumb in front of the leg stump.
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After a brief discussion with his opening partner KL Rahul, he decided against reviewing the decision and walked back to the hut without disturbing the scoreboard. This was the second time in the series that Starc dismissed Jaiswal for a duck.
In the first Test in Perth, Starc had removed Jaiswal for naught in the first innings but the left-hander made a memorable comeback with a 161 in the second innings to help India win the match by a commanding 295 runs.
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A growing concern for Jaiswal
Jaiswal’s struggles against left-arm pacers are not new. Including the dismissals in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the 22-year-old has been dismissed five times in seven innings.
Apart from Starc, South Africa’s Nandre Burger has been particularly effective against him, dismissing him thrice during India’s tour of South Africa in 2023-24.
In the Boxing Day Test in Centurion, Burger got Jaiswal caught behind in both innings for scores of 17 and 5. India lost that match by an innings and 32 runs. Burger struck again in the second Test in Cape Town, dismissing Jaiswal during India’s modest 79-run chase. Jaiswal managed a quick 28 off 23 balls but fell to Burger, caught by Tristan Stubbs.
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Limited success against left-armers
Jaiswal has faced only four left-arm pacers in his nascent Test career: Mitchell Starc, Nandre Burger, Marco Jansen, and Raymon Reifer. While Starc and Burger have clearly troubled him, Jaiswal has also struggled to score freely against Jansen and Reifer, managing only 8 runs off 16 balls against the West Indian and 4 runs off 7 balls against the South African quick.
Jaiswal’s record against left-arm pacers
- Mitchell Starc: 51 runs off 78 balls, 2 dismissals
- Nandre Burger: 21 runs off 36 balls, 3 dismissals
- Marco Jansen: 8 runs off 16 balls
- Raymon Reifer: 4 runs off 7 balls
Jaiswal’s struggles against left-arm pacers point to a potential technical flaw that opposition teams can exploit going ahead. The 22-year-old will be facing a lot of left-arm music in the ongoing BGT and he should make the necessary changes to be ready for the upcoming battles against the experienced Aussie seamer.
