‘Keep doing that and wait for him to make a mistake’ – Cheteshwar Pujara assesses chink in Yashasvi Jaiswal’s armour

Yashasvi Jaiswal played an aggressive knock of 87 runs off just 107 deliveries on Day 1 of the second Test between India and England at Edgbaston, Birmingham. He was one of the standout performers for India on Wednesday, July 2, as the tourists finished the day at 310/5 in 85 overs.

Jaiswal batted with a lot of flair and went after any loose delivery that came his way. He played and missed a lot of cuts, similar to the first Test at Headingley, Leeds. However, as he was on the verge of scoring his second Test century on the tour and sixth overall, Ben Stokes dismissed him with an innocuous delivery that was pitched short and wide of off-stump. Jaiswal attempted to play a cut shot, but the ball went off the bottom edge through to wicketkeeper Jamie Smith, who made no mistake in completing the catch.

Former India batter Cheteshwar Pujara said that bowlers should look to bowl consistently on a good length around off-stump and patiently wait for Jaiswal to make a mistake.

“You’ve got to bowl the right length -around off-stump, on a good length. Keep doing that and wait for him to make a mistake,” Pujara told the broadcasters after the day’s play.

Once he gets through that initial half-hour, he’s in complete control: Pujara

Pujara said that once Jaiswal gets himself set at the crease, he looks in complete control and doesn’t let go of chances to score with his wide range of shots, making it difficult for the bowlers to bowl to him.

“Early on, it seemed like he was trying too hard to play shots, but once he settled, the kind of strokes he played were outstanding. Once he gets through that initial half-hour, he’s in complete control. He doesn’t miss scoring opportunities, and that makes it very difficult for a bowling team,” Pujara said.

“If you pitch it up, he drives well. If it’s short outside off-stump, he cuts well. If you try bumpers, he pulls confidently. The margin of error for bowlers is incredibly small against him,” Pujara added.