Former Indian wicket-keeper batter Deep Dasgupta has questioned Yashasvi Jaiswal’s decision to switch focus to wicket-keeping amid the ongoing Ranji Trophy. Mumbai captain Siddhesh Lad revealed that Jaiswal is working on his keeping skills ahead of the match against Chandigarh.
Jaiswal was seen working on his wicket-keeping skills during the lunch break on the second day’s play. The Indian Test opener hasn’t performed the wicket-keeping duties at any level and his sudden switch is taking a lot of experts by surprise.
Deep Dasgupta said on Hindustan Times, “I’m sure it is frustrating for him. But the question is not about his keeping or his chances as a wicketkeeper. The question is why he is thinking that way and what has prompted him to do so. How serious is he? Those are the questions I would like answered. You can’t just wake up one morning and say, ‘I want to keep wickets for India.’ You can say that, but it doesn’t sound rational.”
He added, “Wicket-keeping just came out of nowhere, to be fair. Somebody needs to speak to him, whether it’s his coaches or the people around him, and understand what exactly he is thinking. I don’t think wicket-keeping will help his cause. I’m more concerned about why he wants to do it and why he feels he needs to do it.”
On the other hand, former Indian chief selector MSK Prasad said Jaiswal doesn’t need to get into wicket-keeping.
“Yashasvi Jaiswal doesn’t need to get into wicket-keeping or other stuff. People earlier who got into wicket-keeping, like Rahul Dravid or KL Rahul, were all wicket-keepers till the Under-19 level. Though in later stages they stopped doing wicket-keeping, that natural instinct still stayed with them,” said Prasad (via the aforementioned source).
“Today we have Ishan Kishan and Rishabh Pant. They are also not finding a place. Someone like Sanju Samson is not finding a place because of the competition that we have right now for every slot. If you are thinking about wicket-keeping, then Ishan Kishan is also a wicket-keeper and an opening batsman. I don’t know whether that is the right way of thinking.”
Jaiswal was dismissed for a duck against Chandigarh.
