Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill smashed commanding centuries to lead India’s strong batting display against England on the first day of the five-Test ICC World Test Championship series.
Yashasvi Jaiswal may only be 23, but he’s already giving England major problems. Now, he’s become one of India’s most dangerous Test batters.
Last year, Jaiswal scored a massive 712 runs in India’s 4-1 home win over England. He even hit James Anderson, one of England’s greatest bowlers, for three sixes in a row in Rajkot. That performance pushed Anderson closer to retirement.
But the century he scored at Headingley was different. It was calm, controlled and classy an innings that would’ve impressed legends like Geoffrey Boycott watching from the stands.
Jaiswal took his time. He started slow but grew in confidence. England bowled at his pads, but that played into his strengths. He dominated the off-side, scoring 92 of his 101 runs there.
This century marked another milestone. Jaiswal now has Test hundreds in his first innings in both England and Australia two of the toughest places for Indian batters. After just 20 Tests, he already has 1,899 runs. No Indian has scored more in their first 20 matches.
Before this match, many were asking who could replace Virat Kohli a player with 9,230 runs and 30 centuries in Tests. But Jaiswal might be the answer. He already has 15 scores over fifty, more than Kohli or even Tendulkar had at the same point in their careers.
Now, experts are asking is Jaiswal already India’s best-ever left-handed batter? If he keeps playing like this, he might join the all-time greats.
Jaiswal celebration was full of energy and Shubman Gill century came with a burst of emotion. This was his first Test hundred outside Asia. He has been groomed for this moment since his teenage years.
Gill timed a perfect cover drive off Josh Tongue. Then he paused. Years of hard work showed in his celebration.
Gill may be the ideal leader for India’s next generation. Unlike past captains like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli or MS Dhoni who started their careers before the IPL boom Gill has grown up during the league’s rise. Big occasions don’t scare him. He’s already captained in front of 100,000 fans. So, playing in front of 20,000 in England may feel easy in comparison.
But this doesn’t mean Gill takes Test cricket lightly. He said winning this series would mean more to him than any IPL trophy. His reaction after reaching the milestone proved those words were genuine.
Gill shares some traits with Kohli elegant strokeplay and high fitness levels. But they’re also very different. Gill wore mismatched gear and joked with reporters the day before the match something Kohli would never do.
Still, Gill carries a calm presence. In his first innings as captain, only 8.5% of his shots were mistimed the lowest for any Indian in England since 2006. He did take a risky single early on, but overall, he looked in control.
One day of play doesn’t tell the full story. England’s weakened bowling attack didn’t offer much threat under the sun. Chris Woakes will likely be tougher in the next innings. And on another day, early edges from KL Rahul and Jaiswal might’ve gone to slip.
Even so, India’s future looks strong. Worries after Kohli and Rohit’s retirements were clearly unnecessary. A new generation led by IPL era stars Jaiswal and Gill including Bumrah and Pant is stepping up.
Day one made it clear: England now faces a new Indian team. And they are ready to make history.
