Veteran Indian batter Cheteshwar Pujara criticised Yashasvi Jaiswal's poor shot selection, which led to his early dismissal in the first innings of the third Test against Australia at the Gabba. Despite scoring a century in the series opener n Perth Test, Jaiswal has struggled in his last three innings, falling victim to Mitchell Starc twice.
In the third Test, Jaiswal was dismissed by Starc again, in the very first over, lasting just two balls. He attempted a flick shot but mistimed it, sending the ball straight to Mitchell Marsh at midwicket which saw him returning to the hut after notching just 4 runs.
Cheteshwar Pujara's key advice to Yashasvi Jaiswal
Meanwhile, Cheteshwar Pujara, drawing from his extensive experience of playing in Australian conditions, advised Jaiswal to closely observe his opening partner KL Rahul. He suggested that Jaiswal should focus on driving the ball closer to his body, a technique that Rahul employs effectively.
"Someone needs to tell him that you cannot drive the new ball in Australia. He is searching for full deliveries. He knows that he can score a few runs with drives against the new ball, but it's very difficult to drive the new ball, and he is searching for that ball only. You need to drive like KL Rahul, only when the ball pitches close to your body," Pujara said on Star Sports.
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Pujara also said that Jaiswal should adopt a more cautious approach while facing the new ball and further advised him to employ mental adjustment to handle the challenging Australian conditions.
"When you search for deliveries, you make more errors. Someone needs to tell him to change his mindset slightly. There is no problem if you defend a few balls because you are playing Test cricket. You need to understand which ball to defend and which ball to attack," Pujara added.
Talking about the match, Australia, batting first, posted a massive total of 445 runs, with centuries from Travis Head (152) and Steve Smith (101), and a half-century from Alex Carey. Now it was Australian bowlers' turn to turn screw on Indian batters as they successfully wiped out visitors' top order, including Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, and Rishabh Pant on Day 3. At the end of the third day's play, India were struggling at 51/4, with KL Rahul (33*) and Rohit Sharma (0) still intact on the crease.
