IND vs ENG: Yashasvi Jaiswal Hits First Century in England at Leeds

Yashasvi Jaiswal achieved his fifth Test century and his first on English turf, stabilizing India’s innings following the early exits of KL Rahul and Sai Sudharsan on the inaugural day of the first Test against England at Leeds on Friday.

Jaiswal reached this milestone off 144 deliveries, delivering a composed innings featuring 16 boundaries and a six. Captain Shubman Gill provided steady support at the other end, scoring a half-century.

🎉 for Yashasvi Jaiswal! 🎉 🎉

5th hundred in Test cricket! 🎉 🎉

This has been a superb innings in the series opener! 🎉 🎉

Updates ▶️ https://t.co/CuzAEnAMIW#TeamIndia | #ENGvIND | @ybj_19 pic.twitter.com/pGmPoFYik6

— BCCI (@BCCI) June 20, 2025

KL and Yashasvi contributed to a strong beginning for India on their lengthy tour, but England retaliated with late wickets, leaving the visitors at 92 for two at lunch on the first day of the opening Test. Stokes’ choice to bowl first may have been influenced by the altered conditions of the Headingley pitch, which has favored batters over the past decade, a characteristic evident in the initial session of the match.

The pacers found some movement and swing, yet the Indian openers handled it well on a predominantly sunny morning. England’s bowling attack, missing both James Anderson and Stuart Broad, lacked the firepower to unsettle the Indian batsmen on a somewhat lifeless pitch.

The bowling unit, which included Stokes, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue, and Chris Woakes, either bowled too full for Rahul and Jaiswal to play their drives, or provided easy runs on the pads for the batters to collect singles.

The England team might have mentally recalled the days when Anderson or Broad would constrain opposing batsmen on such dry days with their impeccable line and length; however, those days seem long gone, as the Indian batsmen enjoyed numerous scoring opportunities.

Jaiswal commenced the morning with a stunning drive through mid-off off Woakes, while Rahul unleashed a series of exquisite drives through covers off Carse and Tongue, resulting in a remarkable total of 16 fours in the first session.

Though Jaiswal had a few play-and-miss moments and Rahul attempted a cheeky shot over slips off Stokes, these were merely minor glitches.

Jaiswal’s performance will particularly please the Indian management, as the left-hander struggled in the pre-tour matches with India A against the England Lions, often falling to deliveries in the corridor of uncertainty.

However, here, Jaiswal displayed commendable restraint while facing the ball in that traditional corridor.

Rahul, returning to his opening slot following Rohit Sharma’s retirement, exhibited his usual solidity, demonstrating excellent judgment and technique, until he unwisely chose to play a loose drive off Carse that led to Joe Root’s catch at slip.

Root (209) is now just one catch shy of matching former Indian captain Rahul Dravid’s record of 210 catches in Test cricket.

(With PTI inputs)