What a day for India! They had come to Headingley with a lot of questions. They leave Day 1 with Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill’s hundreds. These centuries have given the visitors an upper hand as they close the day at 359 runs for the loss of three wickets.
Just like the rest of the day, the last session belonged to India with their captain Gill announcing his arrival in style. He smashed a ton on his Test captaincy debut, stamping his authority in what was a magnificent start of the tour.
England skipper Ben Stokes gave his team a breakthrough in the 53rd over. He cleaned up Jaiswal, who departed after scoring 101 runs. But that was it for England. They could not capitalise on Jaiswal’s dismissal as Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant ended the day unbeaten.
A Leader is Born: Shubman Gill Marks Captaincy Debut with Sublime Hundred
Gill could not have asked for a more perfect start to his Test captaincy career. Taking charge of India in the whites for the first time, the 25-year-old rose to the occasion with a sublime century. Coming in at a tricky juncture when India had lost two wickets in quick succession at the stroke of lunch, Gill displayed immense composure and maturity.
With every elegant shot and confident leave, the right-hander showed that he is not the one to weigh down by the pressures of leadership. Instead, he thrived under it. This is not to draw comparisons but it reminded of Virat Kohli, who also had hammered a ton on his Test captaincy debut in Australia. Interestingly, Gill is now batting at No. 4, a position which not too long ago was held by Kohli.
The moment he reached his hundred with a flawless drive through cover-point, he removed his helmet and his roar said it all. It was about the emergence of a captain ready to rule the roost.
Vice-Captain Rishabh Pant Notches Up His FiftyÂ
In what was a collective effort from the Indian batting unit, vice-captain Pant also played his part and hit a half-century. He supported Gill and brought up his fifty, using his experience of playing in the English conditions before.
At the end of Day 1, India’s score reads 359/3 with Gill and Pant batting on 127 and 65 runs respectively.
