India stamped their authority on Day 1 of the first Test against England at Headingley, closing the day on a commanding 359/3 on Friday.
Led by debutant captain Shubman Gill's unbeaten 127 and Yashasvi Jaiswal's vibrant 101, the visitors seized control early and never let go.
The day began with a solid 91-run opening stand between Jaiswal and KL Rahul, setting the tone for a high-scoring innings. Despite the quick dismissals of Rahul (42) and debutant Sai Sudharsan (0), India bounced back strongly through Gill’s captain’s knock and Rishabh Pant’s attacking cameo.
Pant played a typically audacious innings, remaining unbeaten on 65. He capped off the day in style, smashing a towering six off Chris Woakes in the final over — a fitting exclamation mark on India’s dominant day.
As Gill and Pant walked back to the dressing room at stumps, the Indian camp stood up in applause. One moment stood out — KL Rahul, in a heartwarming gesture, folded his hands and bowed towards Pant in admiration, a clip that has since gone viral on social media.
Pant also crossed a significant personal milestone during his innings, becoming the fastest Indian wicketkeeper to reach 3000 Test runs. In the process, he surpassed MS Dhoni to become India’s most successful keeper-batter in SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand, and Australia) conditions.
Earlier, Jaiswal’s century was a blend of composure and flair, while Gill led from the front with a mature and authoritative hundred — marking a memorable start to his captaincy stint.
With India firmly in the driver’s seat, the hosts will have their task cut out when play resumes on Day 2.