India absolutely dominated against England on the first day of the Headingley Test. Skipper Ben Stokes' decision of electing to bowl first after winning the toss ended up backfiring big time as both Yashasvi Jaiswal (101) and Shubman Gill (127*) scored centuries while Rishabh Pant remained unbeaten on 65. The robust batting saw the Men in Blue wrapped up the first day on 359/3.
While Jaiswal scored a hundred in his first innings on English soil, Gill brought up his first century in overseas conditions since 2022 when he had scored a ton against Bangladesh in Chattogram. The 25-year-old also became just the fifth Indian player after the likes of Vijay Hazare, Sunil Gavaskar, Dilip Vengsarkar and Virat Kohli to score a century in his debut innings as captain.
India will be looking to surpass the 500-run mark on the second day
Following the conclusion of the first day, legendary England pacer Stuart Broad stated that if the visitors manage to put up a total of over 550 or 600 on the second day, then the match could very well go out of reach for the hosts.
"England would have been hoping to pick up five, maybe six wickets on the day - that would have made for a strong start. But the pitch played really well, and the way the Indian batters controlled the tempo was just outstanding. There was that wobble at lunch - two wickets just before the break - which would have given England a lot of hope, and maybe put some pressure on the Indian dressing room. But the way Jaiswal and captain Gill came out after lunch and settled things down in that middle session - when England were looking to strike - was just wonderful batting," Broad said on JioHotstar.
"It is a young batting line-up, but they batted with real presence and maturity. They judged the tempo brilliantly, made the bowlers work hard, and did not give away any easy wickets. Without a doubt, it was India's day. They were superb. England will have a lot to think about - there's pressure now, because if India gets to 550 or 600, the game could be out of reach," he added.
Ben Stokes & Co. will be desperate for early wickets as they take the field on the second day. Breaking the partnership between Gill and Pant will be crucial for the hosts and even after that, they will have to dismiss the likes of Karun Nair, Ravindra Jadeja and Shardul Thakur for low scores if they have to restrict the visitors to a total of less than 500
On the other hand, the Indian batters will be looking to continue their dominance at Headingley and inflict even more damage on the English bowling attack. It will be interesting to see who comes out on top on the second day of the clash.