IND vs ENG highlights, 1st Test Match: Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal centuries power India to 359/3 at stumps on Day 1 vs England at Headingley

Openers KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal gave India a confident start to their long tour, but England hit back with two quick wickets late in the session, as the visitors went to lunch at 92 for 2 on Day 1 of the first Test in the five-match series at Headingley on Friday.

Rahul (42) and Jaiswal (42*), both looking in fine touch, made the England bowling attack appear largely ineffective until the final minutes before the break, when debutant B Sai Sudharsan (0) fell for a golden duck, followed soon after by Rahul.

England captain Ben Stokes’ decision to bowl first likely reflected the evolving nature of the Headingley surface, which has become more batter-friendly over the past decade. That character was evident in the morning session, where conditions—despite offering some swing and seam—favoured the batters under mostly sunny skies.

Without veterans James Anderson and Stuart Broad, England’s pace attack lacked the control and threat that once defined their home dominance. The combination of Stokes, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue, and Chris Woakes often erred in line and length—bowling either too full, allowing Rahul and Jaiswal to drive freely, or straying onto the pads, gifting easy singles.

The English camp might have reminisced about the disciplined spells once delivered by Anderson and Broad, especially on flat, dry days like this, but those memories offered little help as India’s openers capitalised on every loose delivery.

Jaiswal set the tone early with a stylish drive through mid-off off Woakes, while Rahul followed up with a series of crisp cover drives off Carse and Tongue. The first session featured 16 boundaries in total, underlining India’s dominant start.

There were a couple of nervous moments—a play-and-miss from Jaiswal and a streaky shot over the slips by Rahul off Stokes—but the Indian pair remained largely untroubled.

Jaiswal’s innings would be particularly encouraging for the Indian team management, as the left-hander had struggled in the warm-up games against the England Lions, repeatedly getting out while poking at deliveries in the channel. On Friday, however, he showed impressive discipline outside off stump and kept those mistakes at bay.

Rahul, reinstated as an opener following Rohit Sharma’s retirement, looked composed and technically assured. But just as he was settling in for a big score, a loose drive off Carse proved costly, with Joe Root taking a sharp catch at slip.

With that grab, Root now moves to 209 career catches in Test cricket—just one short of equalling Rahul Dravid’s record of 210.

India and England cricket teams observed a minute's silence and will wear black armbands at Headingley on Day 1 of the opening Test match to honour the 274 victims of the Ahmedabad air disaster that occurred on June 12, when a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed shortly after takeoff in Ahmedabad.

In a statement, the England and Wales Cricket Board said, "Both teams will wear black armbands on Day 1 of the Test match as a mark of respect for those who lost their lives in the Air India plane crash last week in Ahmedabad. A moment’s silence will be observed prior to the respective national anthems."

The tragic incident claimed the lives of 181 Indian nationals and 53 British citizens, making the tribute particularly meaningful for both teams as they ready for the five-Test series.

'Wait until August to see what kind of style it’s going to be': Shubman Gill ahead of Headingley Test

The aircraft crashed into a hostel block of the BJ Medical College in Ahmedabad's Meghaninagar area moments after takeoff, with only one person surviving the incident.

England Test captain Ben Stokes won the toss and elected to bowl against India in the opening Test of the five-match Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series on Friday at Headingley.

The match signals the start of a new chapter in Indian Test cricket. For the first time in years, the team takes the field without stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, as well as experienced off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin. Shubman Gill, leading India in Tests for the first time, will look to script history by guiding the team to a Test series win in England — their first since 2007 and a victory at Headingley for the first time since 2002.

England, on the other hand, has become a red-ball powerhouse under the leadership of head coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes. The duo has not lost a home Test series since McCullum took charge in 2022.

There was a proud moment in the Indian camp as 23-year-old left-hander Sai Sudharsan was handed his maiden Test cap, becoming India’s 317th Test player. He received the cap from veteran batter Cheteshwar Pujara. Also making a return is Karun Nair, back in the Test squad for the first time in eight years.

India opted for Shardul Thakur over youngster Nitish Kumar Reddy to fill the role of the fourth seamer, complementing the pace trio of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and Prasidh Krishna. Ravindra Jadeja is the lone spinner in the XI and will also add depth with the bat.

After winning the toss, England captain Ben Stokes said:
"We'll bowl. Headingley is a very good cricket wicket. We've had some really good games here. Want to try to use the early conditions. Been a long time coming, but it's a bit strange that this is just the second series, but we're ready. It's been mixed, some lads have played county cricket, we've had three days of really good cricket. Usual suspects in the top seven, Woakes, Brydon and the rest."

India skipper Shubman Gill said at the toss:
"Would've bowled first as well, might be a bit tough in the first session, but it should be good to bat on later. The sun is out, so it should be a good batting deck for us. Preparation has been amazing, we played a practice game in Beckenham, and the lads are feeling great. Sai makes his debut, and Karun comes in. Sai will bat at three."

England Playing XI:

Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (C), Jamie Smith (WK), Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue, Shoaib Bashir.

India Playing XI:

Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (C), Rishabh Pant (WK), Karun Nair, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna.

Prithi Narayanan, wife of R Ashwin, shared a deeply emotional message on Instagram as Ashwin will not be in India's whites against England following the all-rounder's retirement from the longest form of cricket in the last Australia tour.