Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra has raised concerns about Yashavi Jaiswal's struggles against left-arm bowlers ahead of the fourth Test against Australia. Aakash Chopra stated that Yashasvi Jaiswal also faced similar challenges against left-arm pace during the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Yashasvi Jaiswal scored 193 runs in six innings at an average of 38.60 in BGT. South scored 161 runs in the second innings of the first Test. However, he failed to cross the 25-run mark in the remaining innings. Jaiswal has struggled against Mitchell Starc, being dismissed in the first innings of all three Tests.
Yashavi Jaiswal struggles against left-arm pace – Aakash Chopra
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra said that Yashavi Jaiswal's struggles against left-arm pace are not recent and were evident during the Indian Premier League as well. It's not just about Test cricket or Mitchell Starc, Chopra said.
“The fact is that Yashasvi Jaiswal is having problems with left-arm pace, and this problem has not started now. It has been happening regularly. This has been happening in the IPL as well, which means it is not a form-specific problem. It is not a Mitchell Starc problem,” Chopra said.
His numbers against left-arm pace are not good – Aakash Chopra
The cricketer-turned-commentator noted that Jaiswal's struggles against left-arm pace have been exacerbated by Mitchell Starc's return to form. Chopra pointed out that Jaiswal's weakness is fully exploited by Stark.
“His numbers against left-arm pace are not good and that has been exploited because, for some strange reason, Mitchell Starc is back to his best. We felt there was a slight dip in his career but he is once again starting to bowl with the same rhythm.”
Aakash Chopra talks about Shubman Gill's struggles in BGT 2024-25
In the same video, Akash Chopra also spoke about Shubman Gill's performance. Chopra noted that Gill struggled to convert his starts into big scores despite looking good at the crease. He also stated that Gill needs to be patient, especially as other batsmen also struggled to get runs.
“Shubman Gill – It's been 16 or 17 innings where he hasn't scored more than 40 runs outside Asia in the last three years. The last time he did that was in Brisbane when India won the series. It's been a long time. The expectations are the same from you, he's been looking good.” “But looking good is not good enough in this batting order at this time.”
“If Yashavi struggles with left-arm pace, you suffer, (Virat) Kohli struggles if he comes in early, the runs don't come from Rohit Sharma's bat, (Rishabh) Pant hasn't scored a run yet, and then Shubman Gill – you will also have to Give yourself a little time,” Chopra noted.
Shubman Gill missed the first Test in Perth due to a finger injury. The 25-year-old batsman has managed just 60 runs across three innings in the ongoing Test series. With the series tied 1-1, Gill is expected to play in the next Boxing Day Test in Melbourne, starting on Thursday, December 26.
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