Jaiswal and Gill Shine as India Kicks Off New Test Era with Style

India’s New Era Shines Bright in Headingley Test Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill delivered commanding centuries to take India to a position of dominance against England on Day 1 of the Headingley Test, shrugging off the absence of retired stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli with style and intent. Jaiswal, continuing from where he left off in India’s home series against England (712 runs, 18 months ago), crafted a sublime off-side heavy century. He raced from 50 to 100 in just 48 balls, with all 17 of his boundaries coming on the off side — including a blistering six over cover. Gill, captaining India in Tests for the first time, matched and even outshone Jaiswal with a fluent, assured century. His fastest Test fifty (off 56 balls) set the tone for a dominant knock, culminating in his sixth Test hundred, celebrated with a bow to his applauding team on the balcony. This was also Gill's first significant Test score outside Asia, silencing critics and reaffirming his leadership with the bat. England's decision to bowl first on a hot Leeds day backfired, as their bowlers toiled in vain for long spells. Gill started jumpily after lunch, scampering through for a tight single off his second ball and offering a run-out chance off his sixth. He worked Carse to the right of Ollie Pope at short midwicket, whose pick-up-and-throw would have found Gill short of his ground with a direct hit; instead, it ran away to the boundary for overthrows. It proved to be the only real chance of the middle session, though Carse might well have had Jaiswal lbw on review for 45 had he not overstepped. After an itchy start, Gill settled down and looked utterly unflappable for the rest of his innings: he made Chris Woakes look utterly innocuous after lunch, then reached a rapid half-century with a pull off Tongue. Ben Stokes, leading by example, was the best of the attack. He dismissed B Sai Sudharsan (caught down the leg side) just before lunch and later bowled Jaiswal post-tea with a beauty. England’s seamers maintained decent lines, but failed to find breakthroughs early. Josh Tongue’s hopeful lbw review against Jaiswal summed up their frustration. With India firmly in control, the pressure is now on England’s batters to respond — and for their bowlers to reflect on a toss that may already have tilted the match.