India plunders runs against England after Ben Stoke sends them in to bat in first Test
England has been left to rue sending India in to bat at Headingley in the first Test of their five-game series, with the tourists dominating day one with the bat to finish 3-359.
The retirement of icons Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in less than a year piled the pressure on the next generation to step up, and new skipper Shubman Gill (127*) and opener Yashasvi Jaiswal (101) immediately looked ready to fill the void.
The additional absence of Ravichandran Ashwin and his 537 Test wickets left India facing a daunting task during the tour of England.
With England missing several frontline bowlers through injury for the series opener in Leeds, India was keen to make an early mark.
Jaiswal and Gill proved there was still plenty of depth left in the Indian batting line-up as the visitors piled on the runs to reach stumps on top after Ben Stokes won the toss and chose to field.
Former England captain Michael Vaughan said he was "staggered" by the decision to send India in on a dry pitch in sunny conditions, despite England's penchant for audacious run chases under Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum.
"Just because you've won a year ago, two years ago or three years ago, it can't really affect what the decision is today. And they've allowed India with a youngish batting line-up and a new captain to just go and play," Vaughan said in commentary for the BBC.
The next 10 Tests could define how the "Bazball" combination of Stokes and McCullum are viewed, after plenty of highs and lows over the past few years, with the Ashes series in Australia following India's visit.
Each of the previous six Test matches have been won by the side bowling first, including Australia's losses in the 2019 and 2023 Ashes, but only once in that stretch (New Zealand in 2022) did the opening innings exceed 300 runs.
Opener Jaiswal was not overawed by any stretch, as he became the first Indian batter to score centuries in his first match in both Australia and England with a flawless display of off-side batting.
Three of the 23-year-old's five centuries have come against England, having amassed a colossal 813 runs in 10 Tests when facing McCullum's side.
While Jaiswal dealt with the heat on a scorching Leeds day, Gill could not have been under more scrutiny.
Without a Test century outside Asia, Gill came to the crease in Kohli's number four position in the order, with quick wickets before lunch swinging the momentum in England's favour.
After back-to-back fours in the 32nd over settled his early nerves, Gill sprayed boundaries to all corners, bringing up his hundred with a glorious drive through the covers.
All-rounder Stokes, for his part, was the best of England's bowlers as he took 2-43 from 13 overs.
It is the 34-year-old's second Test this year after tearing his hamstring while playing against New Zealand in December.
Reuters/ABC
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