Former India opener Wasim Jaffer has voiced his concerns regarding young batting sensation Yashasvi Jaiswal’s recent foray into wicket-keeping, urging him to concentrate on his primary strength of batting ahead of crucial national and domestic assignments.
IMAGE: Earlier this week, Yashasvi Jaiswal was clicked keeping wickets at a practice session ahead of the Ranji Trophy. Photograph: Johns/X
Key Points
- Former India opener Wasim Jaffer expressed surprise at Yashasvi Jaiswal’s decision to take up wicket-keeping at 24, citing the difficulty of developing the skill later in life.
- Jaffer believes wicket-keeping is a demanding job, especially in Test cricket, and Jaiswal lacks the foundational experience from childhood.
- He advised Jaiswal to focus on his batting, particularly with the upcoming Ranji Trophy and India’s tour of New Zealand.
- Jaffer suggested Jaiswal might be “getting a little desperate” to secure a spot in white-ball teams by adding wicket-keeping to his skillset.
- Jaiswal has reportedly practised wicket-keeping for Mumbai and will feature in the Ranji Trophy opener before national commitments.
Former India opener and Mumbai batting legend Wasim Jaffer has questioned Yashasvi Jaiswal’s decision to take up wicket-keeping role at the age of 24, saying the Test opener should instead focus on his batting.
Mumbai captain Siddhesh Lad on Thursday had said that Jaiswal has been working on wicket-keeping as a back-up skill to batting and leg-spin, with pictures of him putting in the hard yards behind the stumps surfacing ahead of the 2026-27 Ranji Trophy season.
Jaffer’s Concerns on Wicket-keeping
“I myself was surprised when I heard this. It is very difficult if you have not kept wickets since childhood. First of all, it is a very demanding job. Apart from that, where is that place even if he starts? There are Ishan Kishan, Sanju Samson, and Rishabh Pant. I am sure he wants to do it in white-ball cricket,” Jaffer said on his YouTube channel.
Jaffer said wicket-keeping in Test cricket is a demanding job and insisted that Jaiswal would find it difficult to adapt without a sound foundation in the role. The record Ranji Trophy run-scorer, instead, urged Jaiswal to focus on his batting ahead of India’s tour of New Zealand next month.
Focus on Batting Ahead of New Zealand Tour
Jaffer felt Jaiswal could struggle to take up wicket-keeping in Test cricket without having developed the skill from a young age and advised the batter to concentrate on his primary strength ahead of the New Zealand tour next month.
“It is very difficult in Test cricket. But I feel this is a bit of a joke because wicket-keeping is not an easy task if you have not done it since childhood. It is not an easy skill that you can develop very quickly,” Jaffer said.
“I think he is getting a little desperate to get into the white-ball teams. I think he needs to focus on his batting ahead of the Ranji Trophy and the New Zealand tour.”
Jaiswal is set to feature in Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy opener against Chandigarh at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday, but will miss the team’s subsequent fixture due to national commitments. He is also understood to have kept wickets for around 10 overs in one of Mumbai’s practice matches ahead of the domestic season.
