India vs Bangladesh 2024: Jasprit Bumrah's dominance over Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli mentors young talent

New Delhi: Experienced international cricketers often highlight the importance of the second season after a successful first one. With heightened expectations and opponents becoming more familiar with a player's style through extensive analysis, navigating through the second season can be challenging. Yashasvi Jaiswal, as he prepares to tackle the notorious "second-season syndrome," finds himself fortunate to have the opportunity to face Jasprit Bumrah in the nets. Bumrah's exceptional skill makes him the perfect bowler to practice against before facing tough competition.

In Monday’s net session, Bumrah frequently dismantled the Mumbai youngster, sending Jaiswal’s off-stump cartwheeling on multiple occasions. Jaiswal will be hoping that his shaky form in practice doesn’t spill over into the opening Test against Bangladesh, set to begin here on September 19.

With 10 Tests lined up this season, Jaiswal enters with a strong reputation as a future megastar. He has already amassed over 1,000 runs in his first 9 Tests, with more than 700 of those runs coming in a single series against England, further solidifying his standing as one of cricket’s rising stars.

However, Jaiswal’s critics are quick to highlight that among those nine matches, a couple were against South Africa on the bouncy tracks of Centurion and Newlands (Cape Town), where he didn’t look entirely comfortable facing pace and bounce. This has raised some concerns about his adaptability in challenging conditions.

Although Jaiswal dominated the series against England, where he encountered a fair share of slow bowlers, his true challenge awaits in the five Tests in Australia later this year. The pace and bounce of Australian pitches will be the ultimate test of his technique and adaptability, providing a clearer picture of his standing on the international stage.

Before Jaiswal encounters the formidable trio of Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, and Josh Hazlewood, he will first have to contend with the two tall Bangladeshi speedsters, Taskin Ahmed and Nahid Rana. They, too, will challenge him with pace and bounce, providing an early test of his readiness ahead of the Australian tour.

Jaiswal’s first-class season hasn’t begun on a strong note, with two low scores in the Duleep Trophy. Both Avesh Khan and Khaleel Ahmed troubled him with extra bounce, highlighting an area in his game that still requires improvement. This challenge with handling bounce remains a work in progress as he gears up for tougher international assignments.

On the day, Bumrah frequently troubled Jaiswal, clean bowling him twice and repeatedly beating the outside edge of his bat. Bumrah was able to get the ball to shape away from Jaiswal, who seemed unsettled by both pace and swing. Jaiswal didn’t appear to be in his best form, with his stumps sent flying multiple times as he played with hard hands, pushing too aggressively at deliveries.

Jaiswal struggled with all three aspects—pace, bounce, and swing—making it clear that he wasn’t entirely sure of his off-stump. It wasn’t just Bumrah who posed problems; net bowlers like Simarjeet Singh, Gurnoor Brar, and Gurjanpreet Singh also repeatedly beat his outside edge.

At one point, the legendary Virat Kohli was seen offering advice to Jaiswal, pointing out areas where he might be going wrong. Both Kohli and Jaiswal then took turns batting for nearly an hour, each facing around 50 balls.

During the session, Kohli displayed his classic form, unleashing his trademark cover drives and on-drives. Jaiswal, on the other hand, focused more on leaving deliveries, particularly those from Bumrah, especially when pitched on a length. The practice pitch, made of red soil, offered noticeable bounce, making shot-making less straightforward.

Bumrah, bowling a nearly five-over spell, even managed to trouble Kohli at times, particularly with deliveries aimed at his pads. Once Bumrah’s spell ended, both Kohli and Jaiswal faced the practice bowlers. Jaiswal seemed more comfortable against the spinners, often rocking back to play the square cut with confidence.

Meanwhile, Rishabh Pant, known for his aggressive approach, handled deliveries from left-arm spinners with ease, launching into bowlers like Ajit Ram and M Siddharth with his typical disdain.