WATCH: Ben Stokes reacts as Rishabh Pant smashes his second ball down tracks for boundary in 1st IND vs ENG Test
India vice captain Rishabh Pant is as unpredictable a batter as they come and England captain Ben Stokes found out about it first hand during the opening day of the first Test between India and England at Leeds on Friday.
Replacing centurion Yashasvi Jaiswal in the middle, Pant stepped out of the crease in just the second ball he faced and smashed the ball back over the Stokes' head. That brought out a big laugh from the England captain and he had a chat with Pant on the follow through.
Earlier, 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.
That's some shot by one and only Rishabh Pant. #ENGvIND #INDvsENG pic.twitter.com/y1DyL51a5L
— Wickets Hitting (@offpacedelivery) June 20, 2025
They were as different as chalk and cheese, but both Gill and Jaiswal 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.
(With agency inputs)
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