1st Test: Gill, Jaiswal tons, Pant’s fifty headline India’s utterly dominant day

Leeds: Under the sunny and cloudy skies at Headingley, two young batters of India’s new Test era dazzled with brilliant strokes to hit a century each and totally dominate England on Day One of the newly-constituted Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.

New captain Shubman Gill, with a magnificent 127 not out, and Yashasvi Jaiswal, scoring 101, led India’s charge. At the same time, vice-captain Rishabh Pant added a steady 65 not out as India amassed a formidable 359/3 in 85 overs after losing the toss and fully capitalised on England’s weak bowling line-up.

Jaiswal’s 101 came off 157 balls – his first Test century on English soil, third against the hosts, and fifth overall. His knock was a masterclass in dominating off-side strokeplay – cutting and driving off England’s fast bowlers with absolute ease. Gill’s 127 not-out came off 175 balls – showcasing terrific composure and a calculated attacking version to become the fifth India skipper to hit a century in his first Test as the side’s leader.

He joined an exclusive group that also includes Virat Kohli, who batted at number four before Gill in India’s batting line-up before retiring from the format last month. Pant, meanwhile, launched his typical enthralling shots to be unbeaten on 65 off 102 balls and even completed 3000 Test runs.

While it was a brilliant day for India with two centurions, England had a tough day as their bowlers, who rarely looked threatening, were made to toil hard. A wayward bowling performance meant England picked only three wickets – two of which went to skipper Ben Stokes.

While the Gill-Jaiswal stand was worth 129 runs off 163 balls, including not losing a wicket in the second session, the Gill-Pant association batted 32.3 overs for 138 runs in the last session to put India on top in Leeds.

Pushed into batting first, Jaiswal got India’s first boundary of the series by prodding forward and defending with soft hands to hit Chris Woakes through. He grew in confidence with every drive, either going through mid-off or in the arc between cover and backward point.

On the other hand, after getting a boundary off a thick outside edge, K.L. Rahul began showing his sublime cover-driving skills – pressing forward and then leaning into the drive off Chris Woakes for four. England’s desperation for a wicket was so huge that they burnt a review when Josh Tongue trapped Jaiswal, who was hit earlier on the ribs by Carse, lbw with an inswinger, but replays showed the ball pitching outside leg-stump.

England not attacking stumps much meant they didn’t have the precision to stop Jaiswal and Rahul from playing the glorious straight and cover drives, though a few attempted drives did fly over the slip cordon.

Apart from slashing and driving off Stokes on consecutive balls, Rahul was picture-perfect in his cover drive – front foot towards the pitch of the ball, getting down on one knee, and playing with a high elbow.

But with Carse finding some late movement, Rahul had to stand up to defend against him and then shouldered arms against a full and wide delivery. But against a full and wide outswinger, Rahul couldn’t resist the temptation and went for a drive, but nicked to first slip, leaving the batter livid, as the 91-run opening stand ended.

Debutant B. Sai Sudharsan faced instant baptism by fire – surviving an lbw appeal first ball, edging his second delivery past the slips, and coming close to flicking down the leg-side on the third ball.

But on the very next ball, the nervy Sudharsan again flicked down the leg-side, but was caught by the keeper leaping to his right and departed for a four-ball duck off Stokes, as dismissals of him and Rahul meant England had some momentum at lunch break.

However, India’s third-wicket pair of Gill and Jaiswal regained control with a masterful century partnership. Right from the first ball of the session, when Gill confidently left an outswinger from England captain Ben Stokes, one got the feeling that India would totally be a dominant force in the session.

It also helped that the Dukes ball was getting soft and England’s bowlers lacked serious penetration, allowing Jaiswal and Gill to execute their shots perfectly.

After an overthrow gave him five runs, Gill was immaculate in unleashing drives and flicking off an off-rhythm Chris Woakes. After a single from Josh Tongue got him his fifty, Jaiswal continued to be proficient in front-foot drives and back-foot cuts, fetching his boundaries.

After carving Josh Tongue over cover for six, Jaiswal welcomed Shoaib Bashir by slicing him through square on the off side for four. Gill then got his fifty by thumping Tongue through the gap at mid-wicket for four.

From there, despite a right forearm cramp, Jaiswal lofted, slashed, cut, and drove to take boundaries off Carse, before getting his century with a single through point and soaked in the applause on getting his first Test century in England. But after tea, Stokes used a wide of the crease angle well to hit the top of the off-stump and end Jaiswal’s innings. Pant hit the ground running when he charged down the pitch and slapped over Stokes’ head for four, inviting laughter out of astonishment from the England skipper.

With some reverse swing on offer and Shoaib Bashir being impressive in his changes of angle, pace, and variations, Gill and Pant were cautious and got boundaries only when the balls were there to hit. Pant had a sigh of relief in the 68th over when his top-edge off Bashir just went over mid-wicket, before bringing out a pull and paddle to collect fours, before dancing down the pitch to loft the off-spinner for six.

A fluent Gill then raised his Test century on captaincy debut in 140 balls with a sumptuous cover drive for four off Tongue and indulged in some animated celebrations in what was also just his second hundred in the format outside India.

After that, Gill pulled and cut Josh Tongue for boundaries, even as Pant got his fifty with a toe-end on a slog-sweep off Chris Woakes f,etching him a quirky four. After Gill slashed Carse for four, an audacious Pant lofted Carse and Woakes for four and six respectively to end a sensational day of Test cricket for India.

Brief scores:

India 359/3 in 85 overs (Shubman Gill 127 not out, Yashasvi Jaiswal 101, Rishabh Pant 65 not out; Ben Stokes 2-43, Brydon Carse 1-70) against England

IANS