BGT: Jaiswal is trying to rush things, needs to give himself a bit more time, says Pujara

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

New Delhi, Dec 23 (IANS) Veteran India batter Cheteshwar Pujara feels Yashasvi Jaiswal is trying to rush through things while batting in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy series and advised left-handed opener to give himself a bit more time at the crease.

Jaiswal has amassed 193 runs in three Tests so far, out of 161 came in his brilliant second innings knock in Perth, where India won by 295 runs. But after that, Jaiswal has struggled to get going, which is evident from his scores of 0, 24, 4 and 4 not out.

“He needs to give himself a bit more time, the way he is playing, he is trying to rush things, he is trying to play shots a bit more. He should only play shots if he is quite sure about it, especially in the first 5-10 overs because it seems that he is in a hurry to score runs, he wants a quick start, and he wants to score those first 15-20 runs quickly.”

“When you are an opener in Test Cricket then you don’t go out searching for the ball, you play the deliveries on merit. Even if you are an aggressive player, even Virender Sehwag was an aggressive player but he used play shots only when the ball was pitched in his zone.”

“There are a lot of aggressive batters and openers in Test Cricket today but they play the shots when the ball is pitched in the hitting zone, but here it looks like Yashasvi is trying to convert the shots, he is trying to drive the deliveries which are not pitched up,” said Pujara on Star Sports.

In this series, Jaiswal has been dismissed four times by left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc and Pujara has called upon the youngster to defend well and take a leaf out of how his senior opening partner KL Rahul in terms of capitalising on fuller balls. “He needs to be a bit calm, he needs to spend a bit more time, if he will show some confidence on his defence then that’s when he’ll come across some shot playing deliveries.”

“It’s because the moment when you show some respect to the bowlers and you defend well then they’ll look forward to getting a wicket and gradually they’ll starting pitching the ball a bit up and that’s when you can play those drives. They way KL Rahul is playing, the way he is playing those drives on the overpitched deliveries, Yashasvi also needs to do the same.”

The Border-Gavaskar Trophy series is interestingly poised at 1-1 ahead of the Boxing Day Test, set to be played at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Thursday.

–IANS

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Ashwin’s brain was in overdrive throughout, could never keep him quiet, recalls Mukund

New Delhi, Dec 20 (IANS) Former India batter Abhinav Mukund paid a rich tribute to the recently-retired Ravichandran Ashwin, saying the off-spinner was always a thinking cricketer who brain was on an overdrive and that he could never be kept quiet.

Ashwin quit international cricket with immediate effect after the end of India’s third Test against Australia at the Gabba, which ended in a draw. In a 14-year international career, Ashwin picked 537 wickets at average of 24 in 106 Tests and ended up as India’s second leading wicket-taker after legendary leg-spinner Anil Kumble.

He also picked an incredible 37 five-wicket hauls in Tests, the second-most in the history of the game, along with eight ten-wicket hauls. Ashwin also scored six Test centuries and 14 fifties with the bat in the longer format.

His last international game was the day-night Test against Australia in Adelaide, where he took 1-53 in his 18 overs and made 29 runs with the bat, as India lost by ten wickets. “His brain was in overdrive throughout. You could never keep him quiet.”

“During long bus rides when travelling for the Ranji Trophy, he was always a back bencher. He would put together a bunch of guys and play a ridiculous game called Mafia – a simple game of deduction, where he would be the moderator and watch the action unfold.”

“I also remember during our early years in club cricket, sitting in the dressing room with him and he would bring a pen and a paper and we would do these mock auction picks and drafts for every IPL team, and plot how the sides would balance out. That restless intelligence means he never fails to surprise you every time you speak to him,” wrote Mukund in a column for ESPNCricinfo on Friday.

Ashwin also played 116 ODIs for India, taking 156 wickets, and being a member of 2011 ODI World Cup and 2013 Champions Trophy winning teams. Ashwin also played 65 T20I matches and took 72 wickets. Mukund, who played seven Tests for India, recalled of an instance during India’s Test against Bangladesh in Chennai in September, which gave him first signal of Ashwin calling time on his international career soon.

“I met him after that Test, in which he made his fastest Test hundred with his family watching from the stands. I ordered a cup of coffee and his wife ordered a coconut water for him. I teased him, saying, “Do you need the electrolytes, old man?” He just smirked before going back to asking his daughters about their day.”

“They said the best part was how their dad looked up to them when he celebrated the hundred. You could tell that meant more to Ashwin than the century itself – that family time meant more to him than achievements on the field, which is why I know he has been thinking about retiring for months now, and it wasn’t a hasty decision.”

“No journey to the top is easy but I know his life has been tougher than most, both physically and mentally. The many long days spent in hotel rooms alone with his thoughts will have influenced his decision to call time.”

Ashwin was one of 11 allrounders to clinch the double of 3000 runs and 300 wickets in Tests. He also won a record 11 Player-of-the-Series awards, which is level with Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan. He will be seen in action for five-time champions Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2025.

Talking of the legacy which Ashwin has left as a prolific India cricketer, Mukund stated, “He wasn’t genetically gifted like an Usain Bolt or a Michael Phelps. He was just a middle-class boy who had the smarts to become a doctor or an accountant – or the engineer he eventually became.”

“He had no business becoming an elite athlete and one of the best at that. It meant taking the road less travelled, using every inch of an advantage he could get, and trying to innovate and adapt all the time. I said this once on commentary: R Ashwin is like your latest smartphone; his software is always up to date.”

“Ashwin is a flagbearer for millions of middle-class boys and girls in the country who aren’t hugely physically or technically gifted, telling them to make the most of what they have by working hard and smart; to follow their dreams and achieve greatness.”

–IANS

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