On the first day of India’s visit to the United Kingdom, Yashasvi Jaiswal was the cornerstone of their batting in his debut Test innings in England. Jaiswal, who hit his fifth Test century, formed brilliant combinations with Shubman Gill and KL Rahul. Together, they made sure that, despite Ben Stokes’ introduction, India’s batting was the buzz of the first day.
After a poor start with the ball was stopped by Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rahul, England’s attempts to capitalise on the early movement made possible by the dampness ended in a lacklustre performance. Although they were a little cautious at first, the pair was skilled at clearing away anything that got in their way. Jaiswal was put to the test a few times as the ball tried to get within his pads, but he was able to keep it out. Only a few scary moments occurred throughout the first hour, despite a few drives being cut uppishly through the gully area.
Instead, the innings were interspersed with striking drives. While Jaiswal creamed a few down the ground, Rahul laced a couple through covers. India scored up to nine runs in the first hour alone, most of which came from boundaries. After Josh Tongue, the first-change bowler, hit Jaiswal from around the wicket, England wasted one review against him and appealed for LBW. However, the angle made sure the ball was pitching outside leg and moving downward.
In the first hour, England was also guilty of frequently overpitching, which led to additional boundaries being given up. Due to all of this, the first ten overs of the contest ended without a wicket for the first time in the previous seven Test matches played at Headingley. Both hitters gained confidence in their ability to play the shots as the session went on. However, England’s bowlers were never far away due to the steady movement.
However, Jaiswal missed some cut attempts and kept them engaged with a few plays.
Before Rahul played one cover drive too many and ended up nicking the first slip with minutes remaining for the lunch break, ending a 91-run stand, Jaiswal and Rahul put up an almost flawless session for India. When rookie Sai Sudharsan went out to join Jaiswal, who was in his forties, Carse’s breakthrough raised England’s spirits. However, Sudharsan’s debut was forgettable after he was caught for a duck after nicking a delivery down the legside off Stokes. England was able to recover just in time for the first session thanks to the double blow.
But after the break, Shubman Gill, India’s newest Test captain, gave Jaiswal better support. The latter, standing outside the crease, entered with a fresh strategy to address the movement. Early in the innings, it also improved his fluency. Gill quickly established the borders that held England at bay. His quickest fifty in Test cricket came off just 56 balls. Jaiswal was able to maintain a constant pace as a result. In the second half of the innings, the southpaw was put to the test by a few short balls. Jaiswal, however, was ready to respond with anything within his area.
On his way to the hundred, he struggled with cramping in his right hand, but he overcame them to reach the top in 144 balls. By tea, Gill and Jaiswal had put on 123 runs during the session, turning the tide of the match back in India’s advantage.
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