Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra has raised concerns about Yashasvi Jaiswal’s struggles against left-arm pace 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 has scored 193 runs in six innings at an average of 38.60 in BGT. The southpaw 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, getting dismissed in the first innings of all three Tests.
Yashasvi Jaiswal Struggling Against Left-arm Pace – Aakash Chopra
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra said that Yashasvi Jaiswal’s struggles against left-arm pace are not recent and were evident during the IPL as well. Chopra stated that it is not limited to Test cricket or Mitchell Starc.
“The truth is that Yashasvi Jaiswal is having problems against left-arm pace, and this problem has not started now. It’s been happening regularly. This was happening in the IPL as well, which means it is not a format-specific problem. It is not a Mitchell Starc problem,” Chopra said.
His Numbers Against Left-arm Pace Are Not That Good – Aakash Chopra
The cricketer-turned-commentator pointed out that Jaiswal’s struggles against left-arm pace have been worsened by Mitchell Starc’s return to form. Chopra noted that Jaiswal’s weakness is being fully exploited by Starc.
“His numbers against left-arm pace are not that good and that is getting exploited because, for some strange reason, Mitchell Starc is back to his best. We felt there was a slight slide in his career but he has again started to bowl with the same rhythm,” he observed.
Aakash Chopra Opens Up on Shubman Gill’s Struggles in BGT 2024-25
In the same video, Aakash Chopra also spoke about Shubman Gill’s performance. Chopra pointed out that Gill has struggled to convert his starts into big scores despite looking good at the crease. He also stated that Gill needs to be patient, especially since other batters have also struggled for 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 while. The expectations are the same from you. He was looking good, but looking good is not good enough in this batting order at this point in time,” he said.
“If Yashasvi is struggling against left-arm pace, you are struggling, (Virat) Kohli struggles if he comes early, runs haven’t come from Rohit Sharma’s bat, and (Rishabh) Pant hasn’t scored runs yet, then Shubman Gill – you will also have to give yourself a little time,” Chopra observed.
Shubman Gill missed the first Test in Perth due to a finger injury. The 25-year-old batter has managed only 60 runs across three innings in the ongoing Test series. With the series tied at 1-1, Gill is expected to play in the upcoming Boxing Day Test in Melbourne, starting on Thursday, December 26.
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