Leeds, England โ India took a firm grip on Day 1 of the first Test against England at Headingley, finishing at a strong 359 for 3 at stumps. Centuries from opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and captain Shubman Gill, playing his first Test as skipper, powered India’s commanding display after England won the toss and elected to bowl.
The day started cautiously for India, with openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul building a steady 91-run partnership. Rahul, looking solid in his return to the opening slot after Rohit Sharma’s retirement, fell for 42, caught by Joe Root off Brydon Carse. Debutant B Sai Sudharsan’s stay at the crease was brief, dismissed for a duck by England captain Ben Stokes just before lunch, leaving India at 92 for 2.
However, the second session and a significant portion of the final session belonged entirely to India. Yashasvi Jaiswal, after a patient start, accelerated to reach his fifth Test century, a composed knock of 101 runs from 158 balls, featuring 16 fours and 1 six. He was eventually bowled by Ben Stokes, breaking a crucial 129-run partnership with Shubman Gill.
Shubman Gill, leading the Test side for the first time, marked the occasion with a magnificent century, his sixth in Test cricket and first outside Asia. Gill remained unbeaten on 127 runs from 175 deliveries, including 16 fours and 1 six, showing great poise and control. He joined an exclusive list of Indian cricketers, becoming only the fifth to score a century on Test captaincy debut, following in the footsteps of Vijay Hazare, Sunil Gavaskar, Dilip Vengsarkar, and Virat Kohli.
Giving Gill excellent company at the close of play was vice-captain Rishabh Pant, who played an attacking innings of 65 not out from 102 balls, hitting 6 fours and 2 sixes. Pant also reached a personal milestone, crossing 3000 Test runs during his knock.
For England, Ben Stokes was the pick of the bowlers, taking 2 wickets for 43 runs. Brydon Carse claimed the other wicket, finishing with figures of 1 for 70. Chris Woakes (0/89), Josh Tongue (0/75), and Shoaib Bashir (0/66) toiled without much success on a pitch that offered little assistance to the bowlers as the day progressed.
The Indian team’s strong batting performance has put them in a dominant position, setting the stage for a potentially large first-innings total on Day 2.
