A mix of shoddy bowling from the pace unit behind Jasprit Bumrah and a slew of catches dropped in the outfield meant that India conceded England the momentum at the end of day 2 of the Leeds Test on Saturday.
England cut down the first-innings deficit by 209 runs at the loss of three wickets, all to Bumrah, in response to India’s 471-run total that ended abruptly with a precipitous collapse. After Bumrah nipped opener Zak Crawley in the first over, there wasn’t a lot going the India pacer’s way with his fielders and seam-bowling peers at the other end losing the plot consistently.
First-innings centurion Jaiswal handed early lifelines to Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope with regulation chances going down in the slip cordon. Even India’s star fielder Ravindra Jadeja put down a straightforward catch of Ben Duckett at backward point from Bumrah’s bowling. While Duckett paced his way to 62, the under-fire Pope fought his way through to a ninth Test hundred and second against India.
India legend Sunil Gavaskar lamented the sloppy fielding effort from India and singled out Jaiswal’s below-par performance on the field.
“I don’t think there will be any medal given. T Dilip gives those after a match. This is what was really very, very disappointing. Yashasvi Jaiswal is a very good fielder but he hasn’t been able to hold on to anything this time,” Sunil Gavaskar, who was commentating, said at the close of play.
The 23-year-old Jaiswal had also recently come under the scanner for his close-in fielding during India’s Border-Gavaskar Trophy tour to Australia last year.
jaiswal really needs to work on his catching, really poor from professional
pic.twitter.com/XMngj6VzSs— DAHIYA SAYS….. (@jaatdevta1438) June 22, 2025
‘Gambhir will have a chat with Gill’
Former India pacer Varun Aaron urged head coach Gautam Gambhir to advise captain Shubman Gill to take over a position in the slips, after having stationed himself at mid-on or mid-off during the innings.
“Dropped chances, in the end, they cost you games. Jaiswal dropped one before Jaddu, it would have been a sharp catch, but you have to back him to take those chances. Cam Green, for Australia, takes these without a fuss. I would say Jaiswal can be up there, but he has dropped two now. One of those days where it does not go for you,” Aaron said on ESPN Cricinfo
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“Shubman Gill has been standing at mid on and mid off, one of the better slip fielders in India. I would back Shubman to be in the slips and take these catches, especially in England. Maybe Gambhir will have a chat with him, and be like, ‘You can speak to the bowler in between overs and stuff like that, but we need you in the slips’,” he added.
India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak also rued the wasted opportunities and the no-balls shortly before close of play from Bumrah, one that deprived him of Harry Brook’s wicket for nought.
“Those dropped catches and the no-ball were definitely disappointing. Usually, we’re sharper in the field. But as a support staff and team, we take it as one of those unfortunate days — not the norm. Overall, we bowled well barring a few loose patches. There was something in the wicket, and we tried to make the most of it,” Kotak said in the post-match press conference.