Collective failure of the batting unit was as much a reason as the difficult pitch behind India’s 30-run loss to South Africa in the opening Test at Eden Gardens.
The uncertainty over Shubman Gill, whose condition is still being monitored after the neck injury he sustained at the Eden, makes the job trickier for India in the second and final Test in Guwahati as they need to be diligent in keeping the captain’s right replacement ready.
However, first and foremost, a strong start upfront is the need of the hour for the batting group in India’s bid to avoid a series defeat.
KL Rahul’s solid, compact defence which enables him to hold one end up is certainly crucial, but just as important is young Yashasvi Jaiswal’s role. He may still be a work-in-progress when it comes to strengthening his defence, but the flamboyant stroke-maker that Jaiswal is, even a brisk 50-plus score from the left-hander can earn India some much-needed momentum and put the opposition bowlers under pressure in a matter of a session. From this perspective, Jaiswal’s role goes on to carry a greater significance.
Conjectures are still on over the pitch at the Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati, which gets ready for its first-ever Test. But regardless of the wicket’s nature, India may find themselves in an advantageous position if Jaiswal can counter the charged-up South African bowling attack with his aggressive batting.
Obviously, there’s a fine line between aggression and recklessness, and the Indian team management too must have spoken to Jaiswal about his selection of strokes in accordance with the game situation. That aside, being a little more assured against tall left-arm quicks seems to be another box that Jaiswal needs to tick.
At the Eden, that outside off-stump line from Marco Jansen led to Jaiswal’s downfall in both innings. Even in the last Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, when the conditions had something in it for the bowlers, Mitchell Starc had the better of Jaiswal thrice. The angles that left-arm pacers are able to create can pose problems for many. But considering India’s current situation, they desperately need Jaiswal to negate the Jansen threat before he goes on to deal with the Proteas spinners.
“It requires constant tweaking of technique for different surfaces or different bowlers. Getting out to left-arm seam for a left-hander is definitely going to be more frequent than it is for a right-hander mainly due to the angle of attack. Graeme Smith, too, had a problem against Zaheer Khan.
“But there is no clear pattern here. Chopping one onto the stumps while going for your most productive shot is not a bowler-led dismissal. It’s a shot he (Jaiswal) will have to continue playing all through his career if he wants to maintain a 50-plus average,” coach Zubin Bharucha, who works with Jaiswal and other international players, told The Telegraph on Wednesday.
"You just have to find smarter ways such as standing ahead of your crease or using a different guard, or even waiting for the bowler to err whilst playing your most productive shots,” Bharucha explained.