Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill both scored centuries on the first day of Headingley Test as India made an incredibly strong start to the five-match series against England. The visitors wrapped up the day on 359/3 with Gill batting on 127 and Rishabh Pant unbeaten on 65.
Notably, this was Jaiswal's first-ever Test innings on English soil and he ended up delivering big time.Firstly, his 91-run opening partnership with KL Rahul saw India start the Test match on a positive note. Though both Rahul and Sai Sudharsan lost their wickets one after another, the stand between Jaiswal and Gill helped in providing stability to the Men in Blue's innings.
The duo formed a brilliant partnership of 129 as India crossed the 200-run mark on the loss of just two wickets. Just a few overs before the end of the second session, Jaiswal completed his century after facing 144 deliveries. This was the 23-year-old's fifth Test ton and his third in overseas conditions.
Following the left-hand batter's fine batting display, his childhood coach Jwala Singh made a massive prediction. He stated that Jaiswal would go on to score at least two more tons in the ongoing tour and praised him for continuously improving his game.
"Given the coach's confidence, he might score at least two more centuries. I had expected two centuries in Australia, but that didn't happen. However, I think he'll score at least two more centuries here. He's worked hard on his game," Singh told NDTV.
Jaiswal's knock reminded his childhood coach about Ganguly's inning at Lord's
Singh also remarked that Jaiswal's mental toughness is quite praiseworthy and further stated that his innings at Headingley reminded him of Sourav Ganguly's fabulous knock of 131 runs on his Test debut against England at Lord's which came back in 1996.
"The way he scored the century and the shots he played are remarkable. I've known him since he was 12, and he's mentally tough. His boundary shots were controlled, and this innings will be remembered for a long time. It reminded me of Sourav Ganguly's innings at Lord's. Left-handed centuries have a special class," Singh stated.
Jaiswal's inning was eventually brought to an end by England skipper Ben Stokes for 101 runs just after the beginning of the third session. Regardless of losing a huge wicket early in the session, India went on to dominate the hosts for the rest of the day thanks to Gill and Pant's robust batting. It will be interesting to see if the visitors continue their dominance on the second day or if the English bowlers manage to forge a comeback.