Jaiswal Century, Gill Fifty Power India’s Charge

Yashasvi Jaiswal made a characterful hundred and skipper Shubman Gill crafted a graceful fifty as India punished a lacklustre England to reach a formidable 215 for two at tea on the first day of the opening Test of the five-match series here on Friday.

They were as different as chalk and cheese, but both Gill (58 not out) and Jaiswal (100 not out) found immense success with their respective methods during an unbroken 123-run alliance for the third wicket.

Jaiswal brought up his 5th hundred in Test cricket off 144 balls and Gill his eighth half-century off 56 deliveries in his first outing as India Test captain, underlining the different route they travelled on the day.

England might see this innings as an ominous early sign from Jaiswal that he might just replicate that 712-run series against them in India last year.

It was not a typical Jaiswal innings where he simply flayed the bowlers around, but he showed admirable self-restraint, particularly outside the off-stump.

The left-hander was dismissed in that channel a couple of times while playing for India A against the England Lions in the recent tour matches, but here the 23-year-old did not repeat his mistakes.

He was also copiously assisted by the England bowlers, who struggled to discover the right line and length on a flaccid track. Their profligacy meant that the Indian batters received ample scoring opportunities.

Even amidst his restrained avatar, Jaiswal brought some cracking shots off the shelf such as a crisp off-drive off pacer Josh Tongue or a carved six off the same bowler.

Gill, on the other hand, did not waver much from his normal batting doctrine, playing shots with minimum follow-through through on-side and with a flourish on the off-side.

The 25-year-old's languid grace wowed the crowd when he essayed an off-drive off Chris Woakes and followed it up with a dreamy clip off the pads for a four as currently England's second most experienced bowler went for nearly five runs an over across the first two sessions.

Jaiswal soon fetched his hundred with a scampered single off Brydon Carse, after hammering him for successive boundaries through point and cover, and celebrated with a roar and leap into the air.

Earlier, openers KL Rahul (42) and Jaiswal helped India make a confident start to a long tour, stitching together 91 runs that enabled India to blunt the England new ball attack on a largely sunny day, but not without its own share of assistance for bowlers in the shape of movement and carry.

But not tough enough for the Indian batters to negotiate.

Jaiswal began the morning with a gorgeous drive through mid-off off Woakes, and Rahul played a series of exquisite drives through covers off Carse and Tongue as the first session produced an astounding 16 fours.

Rahul, who got his opening slot back after the retirement of Rohit Sharma, was his usual sturdy self, showing fine judgment and technical nous, until he fatally decided to play a loose drive off Carse for Joe Root to take a catch at slip.

Root (209) is now just one catch away from equalling former Indian skipper Rahul Dravid's record of 210 catches in Test cricket.

Debutant B Sai Sudharsan lasted all but four balls returning to the pavilion without opening his account but those were just minor irritants on an otherwise impeccable day.