KL Rahul and rest of the Indian dressing room welcomed centurion Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant with loud applause as they came through after a strong Day 1 for India in Headingley against England. After being put to bat, India were 359/3 at stumps with centuries from opener Yashasvi Jaiswal (101) and skipper (127*).As Gill and Pant returned to the dressing room, KL Rahul, who scored 42 at the top of the innings, welcomed Gill with a pat on the back while folding his hands and bowing to wicketkeeper-batter Pant who remains unbeaten on 65.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!It was a day of records for India with Gill celebrating his elevation to Test captain with a ton. Gill’s innings included a 129-run partnership with Jaiswal for the third wicket. The day ended with an unbroken 138-run stand between Gill and Pant.The strong performance came despite India missing retired stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, showcasing the team’s depth of talent.“It was very, very good and we all did well today,” Jaiswal said after play. “He played amazingly. He was very composed and calm all the time.”“It was a tough day,” England bowling coach Tim Southee acknowledged. “We will come back tomorrow and try to make some inroads.” He added: “The openers did well early on, particularly Rahul….There were two great knocks, Jaiswal and Pant are class players.”England’s decision to field first may have been influenced by recent history, as the last six Tests at Headingley were won by teams batting second.The hosts struggled without retired pacers James Anderson and Stuart Broad, while also missing injured fast bowlers Jofra Archer and Mark Wood.
India started strongly with Jaiswal and KL Rahul before losing two quick wickets before lunch. Rahul fell for 42, edging Brydon Carse to Joe Root, while debutant Sai Sudharsan was caught behind off Stokes for zero.Jaiswal and Gill then took control with elegant batting. Jaiswal reached his century with 16 fours, marking his fifth Test hundred and third against England.The 23-year-old Jaiswal achieved the remarkable feat of scoring hundreds on his Test debut, first Test in Australia, and first in England.Stokes eventually dismissed Jaiswal with a well-executed delivery that angled in and held its line.
Pant joined Gill and immediately showed his intent, hitting Stokes for four off his second ball. The aggressive wicketkeeper-batsman finished the day with a spectacular swiped six off Woakes.Gill reached his sixth Test century and third against England with a cover drive off Josh Tongue. He celebrated by removing his helmet after hitting his 14th boundary.
