Gavaskar calls out Yashasvi Jaiswal's 'lack of confidence', wants Gambhir and co. to 'sit with him and...'

Sunil Gavaskar has raised alarm bells over Yashasvi Jaiswal’s recent slump, highlighting a key technical flaw in the young batter’s game following his cheap dismissal on Day 1 of the fifth Test at The Oval. The left-hander, who began the England series in commanding fashion, was trapped lbw for just 2 by Gus Atkinson as India found themselves under early pressure after being asked to bat. London: India's batter Yashasvi Jaiswal returns to the pavilion after getting dismissed by England's bowler Gus Atkinson(PTI)

The dismissal followed a familiar pattern: Jaiswal being beaten by the ball darting in from around the wicket, a mode of attack that has increasingly exposed a chink in his armour as the series progressed. Gavaskar, speaking on Sony Sports, pinpointed the precise area of concern, noting that Jaiswal’s front foot movement and alignment have both deteriorated.

“There’s a bit of uncertainty and maybe a lack of confidence creeping into Jaiswal's game. After scoring a hundred in the first Test, he hasn’t looked very fluent,” Gavaskar said.

“That’s possibly why he's not getting his front foot far enough forward to smother this return. But he's a good player. I think if someone sits with him and works on a few technical aspects—like getting his front foot forward and not opening up his shoulder too much—it could help.”

Gavaskar elaborated further on the mechanics behind the flaw: “Right now, his back shoulder is going towards first or second slip, which makes it hard for the bat to come down straight. If his shoulder stayed more towards the wicketkeeper and first slip, the bat would come down straighter.”

A worrisome slump

Jaiswal’s dismissal continued a worrying trend. While he began the series with scores of 101 and 87 in the first two Tests, his form has sharply dipped since. In his last five innings, he has crossed fifty just once. Notably, his once formidable average of 116 against right-arm seamers from around the wicket has plummeted to 24.7, with seven dismissals in the series coming via that angle.

His series tally now stands at 293 runs from nine innings at an average of 32.55, with one century and two fifties to show. While those numbers don’t necessarily read poorly for an away tour, the recent trend has exposed a clear vulnerability that teams are increasingly exploiting.

India ended Day 1 at 204/6 in 64 overs, with rain interruptions causing a late end to the play. Karun Nair, who returned after being sidelined in the fourth Test, showed great composure in scoring an unbeaten 52, while Washington Sundar was batting for 19.

For England, Gus Atkinson and Josh Tongue picked two wickets each, while Chris Woakes bagged one.

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