Sachin Once Removed The Drive From His Game In Australia; May Be Jaiswal Needs To Cut Down On It Too : Dale Steyn

Speaking on JioStar’s post-match show ‘Cricket Live’, JioStar experts Anil Kumble and Dale Steyn analysed South Africa’s dominant performance on Day 4, relentless pressure created by the South African bowling unit, alongside technical flaws in the dismissals of Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul.

Speaking on ‘Cricket Live’, JioStar expert Anil Kumble reflected on South Africa’s dominance on Day 4 at Guwahati:

“Great bowling performance by South Africa. I thought they bowled exceptionally well. Maybe if South Africa had declared earlier, India would have been in even deeper trouble. But having said that, it was a poor shot from Yashasvi Jaiswal. They certainly tested both the openers, and Jaiswal in particular got a lot of short-pitched deliveries from Marco Jansen. Eventually, he fell playing his favourite cut shot — a shot he has scored many runs from, but also gets out to. He was trying to force the pace and ended up getting out to Jansen. It was quite challenging for India in that session, and they lost out. Ideally, they would have wanted to be none down, but it was a fantastic bowling effort from South Africa. When you're looking to score runs and when short deliveries keep coming, you feel that's the only scoring option. Even the first ball Jaiswal faced in this innings was a short one that hit his glove. Naturally he thought, ‘If it’s short and there’s any width, I’ll go for it.’ But if you look at his footwork, he tends to fall back, which makes him believe there is room when there really isn’t. That’s probably why he went after the ball without control. The transfer of weight has to happen when you play the cut shot. Unfortunately for Jaiswal, the ball took the outside edge and went straight to the wicketkeeper.”

Kumble analysed KL Rahul’s dismissal, “I think it was a fantastic delivery by Simon, no doubt. But KL went for the shot without getting to the pitch of the ball. Because of the revolutions Simon Harmer puts on the ball, he got a bit of dip, and the line was perfect. Generally, on a fourth- or fifth-day pitch with enough rough, you tend to cover all three stumps because LBW is unlikely from that angle — the impact is usually outside off-stump. That’s why I was a bit surprised. KL Rahul is experienced. He did take centre-stump guard, but his off-stump was still visible. Ideally, if you stand on middle-and-off, you can reach the ball comfortably or defend it. But standing on middle-and-leg exposes the off-stump and forces you to reach for the ball, which brings short leg into play. Otherwise, you have to play off the back foot. Maybe it was a lapse in concentration. He thought it was drivable, but the ball dipped, credit to Harmer. He looked to drive and ended up falling to a perfect off-spinner’s dismissal.”

Speaking on ‘Cricket Live’, JioStar expert Dale Steyn analysed Yashasvi Jaiswal’s wicket and Marco Jansen’s tactics, “It was a bit of a false shot by Jaiswal. It’s his default option — he likes playing that shot. He is probably so used to right-arm bowlers angling the ball across him that playing that shot feels natural. But with Marco Jansen being a left-armer, it looks like the ball will angle away and give him room, but very often it’s tighter than he expects. That’s why he sometimes drags the ball back onto his stumps or edges it. As it pitches, it often straightens instead of going across, and that’s how it finds the edge — either side of the bat — leading to bowled, caught in slips, or caught behind. It’s his go-to shot, and breaking that instinct is tough. When you see the ball in your zone, you go for it. But maybe it’s something he needs to consciously cut down on. I remember Sachin once removed the drive from his game in Australia. Jaiswal may also need to say, ‘Unless it’s in a specific area, I won’t play it. In this area, I’ll trust my defence.”

On the South African spin duo – Simon Harmer & Keshav Maharaj spoke, “They’ve been fantastic in the series. It might sound repetitive, but Simon Harmer’s ability to reduce his pace in Guwahati and bowl slightly quicker in Kolkata shows his incredible skill. We just spoke about Jaiswal’s default shot and Jadeja’s habit of bowling quickly. These are habits developed over years. There’s nothing against the Indian bowlers, but Harmer’s adaptability stands out. He’s adapting naturally — in Kolkata, with more turn, he bowled quicker and straighter; where there was less turn, he used flight, drift, and hit the footmarks outside the line. It’s an exceptional skill.”