Leeds [UK] June 21 (ANI): India opener Yashasvi Jaiswal expressed his admiration for newly-appointed Test captain Shubman Gill following their crucial 129-run partnership on Day 1 of the first Test against England at Headingley. Jaiswal, who smashed a fluent 101 off 159 balls, lauded Gill’s calmness and composure at the crease, describing their time together in the middle as “amazing.”
Speaking at the post-day press conference, the 23-year-old left-hander said, “We have spoken a lot in the middle and we were just trying to make sure that we play session by session and try as many (runs) as we can get. Especially when there is a loose ball, we try to make sure that we put it in the right places.”
Jaiswal and Gill laid a solid foundation for India after being put into bat, with their partnership steering the visitors past the 200-run mark. While Jaiswal fell shortly after Tea, Gill remained unbeaten on 127 at stumps, showcasing excellent temperament in his captaincy debut.
Praising the partnership and the leadership on display, Jaiswal added, “We really enjoyed together. There was amazing camaraderie between us. So, it was amazing to bat with him and he batted really well. The way he has been very calm and composed… I loved batting with him and enjoying under him as well.”
The young opener’s knock, studded with sixteen boundaries and a six, was instrumental in giving India early control of the match.
With Gill and vice-captain Rishabh Pant (65*) still at the crease, India will look to build on the strong platform on Day 2 as they finished Day 1 with 359/3.
In the process, Gill crossed the 2,000-run milestone in Test cricket, while Pant breached the 3,000-run mark.
England captain Ben Stokes, who managed to break through, finishing with 2/43. The only other English success came via Brydon Carse, who ended with figures of 1/70.
India’s 359-run effort surpassed their previous best opening-day score in England, 338/7 at Edgbaston in 2022. The last time a touring team piled on as many runs on Day 1 in England was South Africa’s 362/4 at The Oval back in 2003. (ANI)