Jaiswal shines with century, Gill scores half-century; India off to a strong start in first test against England

LEEDS: India made a strong start in the first Test of the five-match series against England. This is also India’s first game in the new World Test Championship cycle. After losing the toss and being asked to bat, India’s Yashasvi Jaiswal scored a brilliant century, while captain Shubman Gill added a solid half-century. Jaiswal’s hundred at Headingley is the fifth of his Test career.

India began well with an opening partnership between Jaiswal and KL Rahul. The pair added over 50 runs before Rahul got out when the score was 91. He made 42 runs from 78 balls, hitting eight boundaries.

Debutant Sai Sudharsan was out for zero on his fourth ball, dismissed by England captain Ben Stokes. KL Rahul had earlier been dismissed by Carse. Jaiswal reached his century in 144 balls, with 16 fours and one six. However, shortly after reaching the milestone, he was dismissed for 101 by Ben Stokes. At the crease now are Shubman Gill (68 not out) and wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant (9 not out).

This tour marks India’s first overseas series since the retirement of experienced players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ravichandran Ashwin. The current squad includes seasoned names such as KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Rishabh Pant, Jasprit Bumrah, and Mohammed Siraj, alongside young talents like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Sai Sudharsan. Karun Nair also returned to the playing XI today after an eight-year gap, following impressive performances in domestic cricket.