Top News

Friday was a great day for Indian cricket fans. Shubman Gill scored a classy 127*, Yashasvi Jaiswal made a smooth century, and vice-captain Rishabh Pant played a steady innings. By the end of Day 1 of the first Test against England at Headingley, India had racked up a strong 359/3.

Jaiswal set the pace with his sparkling 101 off 159 balls, hitting sixteen boundaries and a six. Then, Gill took charge, showcasing his skill with an unbeaten 127 off 175 balls, which included sixteen fours and a big six. This is now India’s highest first-day total in a Test match on English soil. Pant chipped in well, finishing the day not out on 65 from 102 balls with six fours and two sixes, forming a solid partnership of 138 runs with Gill.

In the process, Gill passed the 2,000-run mark in Test cricket, while Pant crossed 3,000 runs. Unfortunately, Jaiswal, who had played well earlier, got out just after Tea to England captain Ben Stokes, who ended with figures of 2/43. India’s 359 runs exceeded their previous best first-day score in England, which was 338/7 at Edgbaston in 2022.

For context, the last time a visiting team scored this many runs on the first day in England was South Africa’s 362/4 at The Oval back in 2003. Jaiswal now has 813 runs in 10 innings against England, boasting an impressive average of 90.33, making him the player with the highest Test average against England (with at least 500 runs), surpassing Don Bradman.

With Gill and Pant strong at the crease, India will aim to build on this lead on Day 2, while England will be looking for early wickets to get back into the match. Earlier in the day, Jaiswal and KL Rahul had a solid opening partnership of 91 runs before Rahul was dismissed for 42 right before Lunch. In the second session, Gill and Jaiswal added 123 runs off 154 balls while England struggled to take any wickets.