Leeds Test, Day 1: Jaiswal ton, Gill fifty put India on top at Tea
New Delhi: Yashasvi Jaiswal continued his remarkable run against England while Shubman Gill scored a sublime fifty in his first Test as captain to take India to a strong position after two sessions on Day 1 of the first Test at Headingley, Leeds.
At Tea, India raced to 215 for 2 in 2 overs with Jaiswal (100*) slamming his fifth hundred in just 144 balls while Gill (58*) hitting his eighth half-century in red-ball cricket. The duo has stitched an unbeaten partnership of 123 off 154 balls.
Both batters robbed the momentum from England, who hit back with two quick wickets at the stroke of Lunch after Indian openers added 91 runs in the opening session.
Jaiswal and Gill didn’t allow the English bowlers to settle right from the get-go in the post-lunch session and flattened the hosts’ bowling attack with a flurry of boundaries.
Gill, in particular, looked in sublime touch and played some terrific shots all around the ground. The freedom with which Gill played was eye-catching. Not for a moment, he look bogged down by the pressure of the new responsibility of captaincy.
Jaiswal, who was troubled by some short bowling by the English pacers, batted patiently and waited for the right deliveries to score. Just as the play approached, Tea, Jaiswal, got treatment for cramps in both hands, but still managed to hit a flurry of boundaries to reach the magical three-figure mark.
Jaiswal continues remarkable run vs EnglandJust two years into his international career, Jaiswal has become a menace for England in red-ball cricket. He scored 712 runs at an average of 89.00, including two double centuries, in the five-match series at home against the Three Lions last year. Jaiswal has started from where he left off after his Player of the Series performance in the 2024 series, which India won 4-1.
Earlier, after being sent in to bat, openers KL Rahul and Jaiswal gave India a strong start, adding 91 runs before the former was dismissed for 42 on the stroke of Lunch. In the next over, England skipper Ben Stokes dismissed debutant Sai Sudharsan for a nought as the home side hit back late after spending a large part of the session chasing the ball.