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India's gruelling five-match Test series against England commenced on Friday and saw the visitors completely dominate thanks to their batters. The Men in Blue were provided with a strong start on Day 1 by openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul, who formed a brilliant partnership of 91 runs. Though Rahul and Sai Sudharsan ended up losing their wickets one after another during the first session itself, the duo of Jaiswal and Gill formed a tremendous stand to take India over the 200-run mark for the loss of just two wickets.
Jaiswal and Gill both scored centuries on Day 1
Then, just a few overs before the end of the second session, Jaiswal brought up his fifth Test century and his first-ever on English soil after facing 144 deliveries. Following his dismissal for 101, Gill would form another amazing stand with Rishabh Pant and would help the visitors finish the day on 359/3. Gill remained unbeaten on 127 while Pant also retured to the dugout unbeaten on 65.
Following the conclusion of the first day, former India cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu blasted ex-England captain Michael Vaughan, who had confidently predicted that the Three Lions would win the series over the Men in Blue by 3-1. “They (India) arrive again to lose,” Vaughan had stated. Sidhu further went on to label Vaughan as a 'fool' and criticized the England bowlers for their poor performance against India on Day 1.
“Fools grow without watering. Michael Vaughan, your predictions. They’re always wrong. Look at your bowling attack. They’re pedestrians. I mean, three of the Indian batsmen are stepping out and hitting them like spinners. Boss, noise proves nothing. Even a hen, while laying an egg, cackles as if she’s laying an asteroid," Sidhu said in a video shared by Star Sports.
Stokes & Co. will be desperate for early wickets as they take the field at Headingley on the second day, while on the other hand, the Indian batters will be looking to punish the hosts even more and go on to post a total of 550-600. England's current objective will be to break the partnership between Gill and Pant as soon as they can.
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