Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and skipper Shubman Gill scored impressive centuries as India reached a formidable total of 359/3 at stumps on the first day of the opening Test of the five-match Test series against England at Headingley on Friday. Gill was unbeaten on 127 with Rishabh Pant giving him company at 65 as the two added 138 for the fourth wicket.
Earlier, India were 215 for two at tea with Jaiswal unbeaten on 100 and Shubman Gill holding fort at 58. Jaiswal, however, departed soon after tea, adding just two runs to his total. The two put on 130 runs for the third wicket. This was Jaiswal’s fifth Test hundred and Gill’s sixth century in his first outing as Test captain. Gill has become the fifth Indian batter to score a hundred on Test captaincy debut.
Jaiswal batted with a lot of maturity and restraint as he took his time to settle on the crease, taking care not to meddle with deliveries outside the off-stump. A lacklustre England attack also worked to the advantage of Jaiswal and Gill as they kept on scoring at a steady pace. Most England bowlers struggled to find their line and length on a flat pitch.
Despite his restraint, Jaiswal played some cracking shots, especially his crisp off-drive and a six against pacer Josh Tongue. Gill, on the other hand, played his natural game and scored at a brisk pace. He played shots with minimum follow-through on the on-side, complemented by a flurry of shots on the off-side. It was a treat to watch as the 25-year-old hit an off-drive off Chris Woakes and followed it up with a clip off the pads for a four. England's second most experienced bowler, Woakes went for nearly five runs an over in the first two sessions. Jaiswal got his hundred with a single off Brydon Carse after punishing him for successive boundaries through point and cover.
Earlier, openers KL Rahul (42) and Jaiswal got India off to a solid start, putting up 91 runs for the opening wicket as India literally blunted England’s new ball attack on a largely sunny day. Rahul executed a series of exquisite drives through covers off Carse and Tongue as the first session produced 16 fours. However, B Sai Sudharsan, playing his maiden Test, lasted just four balls before getting out without opening his account.
Scoreboard: India (1st innings): Yashasvi Jaiswal b Stokes 101, KL Rahul c Root b Carse 42, B Sai Sudharsan c Smith b Stokes 0, Shubman Gill not out 127, Rishabh Pant not out 65. Extras: (B-1, LB-10, NB-7, P-5) 24. Total: (For 3 wickets in 85 Overs) 359. Fall of wickets: 1-91, 2-92, 3-221.
Bowling: Chris Woakes 19-2-89-0, Brydon Carse 16-5-70-1, Josh Tongue 16-0-75-0, Ben Stokes 13-1-43-2, Shoaib Bashir 21-4-66-0.
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