 "Gill, Jaiswal slam tons at Headingley as Indian batters dominate opening day of first Test against England")
Yashasvi Jaiswal and captain Shubman Gill announced their readiness to carry India’s batting into the post Virat Kohli-Rohit Sharma era, striking marvellous hundreds to guide the visitors to a dominant 359 for three against a faltering England on the first day of the opening Test in Leeds on Friday.
Gill (127 batting) and Jaiswal (101, 159b) shared a 129-run partnership for a determined third wicket alliance that carried India to 221 from a slightly wobbly 92 for two after KL Rahul (42) and debutant B Sai Sudharsan (0) were dismissed in quick succession.
Rishabh Pant (65 batting) was keeping vigil with Gill at close.
But there was an underlying significance to the centuries of Jaiswal and Gill other than giving India a head-start on the first day of the newly-minted five-match Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.
This Indian batting line-up is a tad thin on experience after the recent retirements of former skippers Kohli and Rohit, who played at the pivotal No. 4 and opening slots in their illustrious careers.
Both Jaiswal and Gill are not newcomers to the unforgiving Test arena, but there has been this widespread anxiety over how the ‘New Gen’ India stars would step into the big shoes of their predecessors.
But the portends are quite bright, if the day’s innings by Jaiswal and Gill are anything to go by.
Jaiswal was the first to reach the three-figure mark, the fifth in his flourishing career, off 144 balls and Gill reached his own landmark off 140 balls in the final passage of the day, heralding the start of a new era in Indian cricket.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsBut the way they reached that point was entirely different. Jaiswal eschewed his natural flair as the first session offered its own share of assistance to the English bowlers in the shape of movement and carry.
However, it was an altogether different matter that the home bowlers were not prudent enough to exploit that offering, and later the pitch eased up considerably.
But a flaccid track and a fangless England attack without James Anderson or Stuart Broad could not take the sheen out of the knocks of Jaiswal and Gill.
It was not a typical Jaiswal innings where he simply flayed the bowlers around, but he showed admirable self-restraint, particularly outside the off-stump.
The left-hander was dismissed in that channel a couple of times while playing for India A against the England Lions in the recent tour matches, but here the 23-year-old did not repeat his mistakes.
Jaiswal began the morning session with a gorgeous drive through mid-off off pacer Chris Woakes, and he only grew in confidence from there.
Perhaps, the only time he showed his aggressive mindset was when the left-hander carted pacer Josh Tongue for a six and then later hammered him for two consecutive fours to reach 99.
𝙔𝙚𝙝 𝙨𝙞𝙠𝙝𝙖𝙖𝙣𝙚 𝙖𝙖𝙮𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙞𝙣! 🔥
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) June 20, 2025
A young star rises in England with a knock full of class. @ybj_19's first century on English soil shines bright. 🤩
Watch now 👉 https://t.co/PXeXAKeYoj #ENGvIND | 1st Test | LIVE NOW on JioHotstar pic.twitter.com/SizxLx76AB
It was Jaiswal’s first innings in England, and he made it memorable, making a hundred soon after scampering for a single despite suffering some cramps on his hands.
He celebrated with gusto too — a roar and leap into the Headingley sky. England could not be blamed for imagining the Indian batter repeating his 712-run effort he managed last year during a home series.
If Jaiswal’s innings was more about adaptation, Gill’s knock was all about following his natural batting doctrine, which has its fundamentals in timing and elegance.
The right-hander played shots with minimum follow-through through on-side and with a flourish on the off-side.
The 25-year-old’s languid grace wowed the crowd when he essayed an off-drive off Chris Woakes and followed it up with a dreamy clip off the pads for a four as currently England’s second most experienced Test bowler went for nearly five runs an over across the first two sessions.
Once he went past the fifty off just 56 balls, Gill slowed down a touch, and nerves grew once he went past 90.
There was a cheeky uppish shot through the gully of Tongue and a full-stretched dive saved him from a potentially close run out.
But Gill did not want to let go of the opportunity to score a hundred in his first innings as India’s Test captain.
He brought up that mark with a sumptuous boundary off Tongue, getting a standing ovation from everyone.
The newest entrant of a commendable record 👏👏
— BCCI (@BCCI) June 20, 2025
Shubman Gill is now part of an elite list 💯#TeamIndia | #ENGvIND | @ShubmanGill pic.twitter.com/oZLhXFXbxm
Gill also joined a very exclusive club of Vijay Hazare, Sunil Gavaskar, Dilip Vengsarkar and Virat Kohli as the Indian batters with hundreds on their captaincy debut.
However, the blooming alliance ended when the giant-hearted England skipper Ben Stokes produced a peach to rattle the stumps of Jaiswal immediately after tea.
Gill carried on nevertheless in the company of his adventurous deputy Pant, who in the process of making his 16th Test fifty completed 3,000 runs in the format.
Gill and Pant added 138 runs for the unfinished fourth wicket stand, and it has the potential to produce more sparkling moments on Day 2.
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