India’s young opener Yashasvi Jaiswal has come under heavy criticism after a video surfaced of him dancing near the boundary line on Day 5 of the first Test against England at Headingley, Leeds.
The light-hearted moment didn’t sit well with fans, especially given his key fielding lapses that played a part in India’s narrow defeat.
Jaiswal dropped multiple crucial catches throughout the match, the most costly of which came on the final day when he failed to grab a chance off Ben Duckett’s bat while the batter was on 97. Duckett capitalized on the reprieve, going on to score a match-winning 149 that sealed England’s chase of 371 — one of the highest fourth-innings run chases against India.
Earlier in the match, Jaiswal had already come under scrutiny for dropping Ollie Pope on Day 2, who later scored a century, and Harry Brook on Day 3, who narrowly missed one with 99. Both misses allowed England to stay neck-and-neck with India in the first innings.
Though Jaiswal has impressed with the bat in recent months, fans online expressed disappointment at what they viewed as a lack of seriousness in a high-stakes situation, especially as his drops directly contributed to England’s victory.
With India trailing 0-1 in the five-match series, the young opener will be under pressure to bounce back — not just with the bat, but also with sharper fielding displays.
