Top News

The second ODI between India and South Africa in Raipur on Wednesday turned into an unexpectedly poor outing for young opener Yashasvi Jaiswal. In perfect batting conditions, Jaiswal managed a sluggish 22 from 38 balls. Even more frustrating was the manner of his dismissal – trying to hook a Marco Jansen bouncer, but beaten for pace, resulting in a simple catch at square leg.

The talented youngster now has scores of 15, 18, and 22 in the first three One-Day Internationals of his career. Since making his ODI debut against England in February this year, he has managed just 55 runs in three matches.

With regular opener Shubman Gill unavailable, the stage was set for Jaiswal to seize the opportunity and strengthen his position at the top of the order. Instead, he struggled to find rhythm on a pitch that demanded patience, yet punished indecision. For many, it felt like a missed opportunity.

Even more concerning is his growing vulnerability against left-arm pace. Proteas pacer Jansen has dismissed Yashasvi five times in their last six encounters, including the recent Test series. Across formats, he has fallen to left-arm seamers 16 times in 54 matches, averaging just 9.4 against them. In today’s data-driven cricketing landscape, this is a glaring weakness that opponents will be eager to exploit.

So far, in the first two ODIs of the South Africa series, Jaiswal has squandered a massive opportunity. A few strong scores would not only boost his confidence but also demonstrate to the management that he has the temperament and adaptability required for the format.

It remains to be seen whether the team management will evaluate the situation with a long-term mindset. Jaiswal has already displayed flashes of brilliance in his Test career, amassing 2,511 runs from 28 matches at an average of 49.23, with seven hundreds. Fans will be hoping that two subdued innings do not define his potential.