Boxing Day Test: Yashasvi Jaiswal drops three, leaves the captain fuming

It's an uphill battle for India at the MCG as the Boxing Day Test nears its conclusion. The visitors had a late redemption in the match, thanks to commendable efforts from the all-round duo, Washington Sundar and Nitish Kumar Reddy. Sundar's gritty half-century followed by the 21-year-old Reddy's maiden Test ton bolstered India's chances to clinch the match. However, with Australia boasting home dominance, there are only counted chances that India can miss out on. Three of those chances were leaked by Yashasvi Jaiswal alone on Day 4 of the fourth Border Gavaskar Trophy fixture. Jaiswal dropped the catches of main Aussie batters, drawing livid reactions from the Indian skipper, Rohit Sharma.

Yashasvi Jaiswal misses out on crucial breakthroughs on Day 4 of the Boxing Day Test

India dominated the second session on Day 4 of the fourth Test in the Border Gavaskar Trophy, thanks to yet another match-defining spell by Jasprit Bumrah. Early in the session, Bumrah tore through the Australian batting order, effectively executing India's plans for a resurgence in the Boxing Day Test. Bumrah's first wicket was Sam Konstas, who couldn’t execute his signature ramp shots against the Indian legend this time around. Flexing his repute in the game, Bumrah castled the youngster at the score of 8 in the seventh over of the innings. However, a phase of utter frustration followed for the visitors as sloppy fielding led to India missing out on crucal opportunities. Fielding in the afternoon session, Yashasvi Jaiswal, dropped three crucial catches.

The first drop occurred on the penultimate ball of the third over in Australia’s second innings. Placed at the leg gully, Jaiswal missed a chance to dismiss Usman Khawaja off a Bumrah delivery. Although positioned too close to react effectively, his mistake allowed Khawaja to escape. Later, in the 40th over, Jaiswal let slip a far simpler opportunity. Marnus Labuschagne, yet to reach his half-century, edged an Akash Deep delivery towards gully, but Jaiswal failed to grab the regulation catch, squandering a golden opportunity to push the hosts into deeper trouble. The fumble at Jaiswal's hands drew a livid reaction from skipper Rohit Sharma who threw his hands in frustration. Virat Kohli also looked disappointed as did Akash Deep whose near-perfect spell didn't materialize in a wicket.

The third error came in the 49th over when Jaiswal, placed at silly point, missed a straightforward chance off Ravindra Jadeja's bowling. A defensive prod from Pat Cummins sent the ball popping into Jaiswal’s hands, but he failed to hold on yet again. Rohit, visibly irate, vented his frustration with an audible outburst. These missed chances added to India’s woes despite their dominant bowling display. Jasprit Bumrah made sure it didn’t hurt India much, but Labuschagne, with his undefeated luck, significantly dented their hopes. Dropped early in the day, Labuschagne went on to score his second half-century of the match. Jaiswal's fumble might have cost India a fighting chance in the match. However, the batter, who scored 82 in the first innings, would look to turn things around with the bat when the time comes for India to chase victory and the series lead down under.