Latest news with #BCCIX
Hindustan Times
18 hours ago
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Rohit Sharma stopped Yashasvi Jaiswal from becoming his biggest enemy; Shubman Gill saw Prithvi Shaw slip and climbed up
Yashasvi Jaiswal must feel Test cricket is a breeze. Twenty matches, more than 1,900 runs, five centuries, three of them overseas. Not just overseas, but in his first appearance in each of those lands – in the Caribbean (Roseau, 2023), in Australia (Perth, 2024) and now in England (Leeds). India's Yashasvi Jaiswal and captain Shubhman Gill during the 1st test match against England(@BCCI X) For Shubman Gill, life in the fast lane hasn't been as rewarding. At 25, he is two years older than the opener from Mumbai. Until Friday, the stylist had five hundreds from 32 games, but none outside Asia. Indeed, since making 91 in Brisbane in January 2021, in his maiden series, he hadn't scored a half-century in 18 innings in the West Indies, England, South Africa and Australia. He must have felt the pinch when he debuted as India's 37th Test captain at Headingley. The high-flying left-hander and the composed right-hander joined hands to headline a day of supreme domination in Indian cricket's first day in its latest transitional chapter. To play lead roles in a day-one tally of 359 for three must be immensely satisfying. Jaiswal will follow the progress of his batting colleagues from the dressing-room, having been dismissed for 101 in the post-tea session but Gill, who became only the fifth Indian to score a hundred on captaincy debut, can build on his unbeaten 127, just one short of his highest Test score. Tim Southee, the former New Zealand fast bowler and captain who is now a special skills consultant with the English setup, invoked 'very good surface' more than a half-dozen times during his brief interaction with the media on Friday evening. There is no denying that that is exactly what the 22-yard strip is. But it's one thing being gifted first use of a batting beauty, quite another to make the most of the gift, given that the focus in the lead-up has been more on the two men who aren't here – the recently retired duo of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli – than the several that are. It was under and alongside Rohit that Jaiswal blossomed as a Test opener; the older, wiser, more mature and prescient Rohit saw in his younger mate an outstanding talent whose greatest enemy was potentially himself. The then skipper left no stone unturned in ensuring that his opening colleague didn't allow himself to get carried away by success. From all indications, Rohit's hasn't been an effort in vain. Discipline has never been an issue with Gill. Right from his Under-19 days, he was earmarked for greater things along with his captain when India won the junior World Cup in New Zealand in 2018. Prithvi Shaw has fallen by the wayside, a victim of his own dalliances. Gill, by contrast, has climbed up and up, his new-found status as Test skipper a vote of confidence from the decision-makers not just in his skills, but also his temperament and man-management abilities. Total domination Between them, Jaiswal and Gill ran Ben Stokes' England ragged on day one of the first Test. Jaiswal had first bite at the cherry, so to speak, alongside the phlegmatic KL Rahul. Their 91-run opening salvo dispelled the opening-day blues, it settled the nerves in the hut, it put things in perspective. Rahul was the rapier in that alliance, driving gloriously through the covers; Jaiswal was more the broadsword, crunching rasping cuts when England offered him width, though he did delight the aesthete too with peachy drives down the straight field when the bowlers went full in looking for swing. Gill falls in the Rahul mould, all easy, languid, effortless grace. Where Rahul is immensely attractive off the front foot, Gill is quite the master of the back, be it when he rocks back and crisply meets the ball with an almost vertical bat as he directs it through point or when he plays the short-arm jab-pull which is quintessentially Gill. Taking to captaincy with practised ease, he began with aggressive intent devoid of frills and adventurism, compensating for Jaiswal's battles with an attack of cramps in both forearms. Gill celebrated with gusto when Jaiswal reached his hundred, and must have been a trifle disappointed when his partner was dismissed not long thereafter by an excellent delivery from Stokes after a stand of 129. Swiftly sussing up the changed dynamic, he focussed on barndoor defence for a while – just a while, as Rishabh Pant got his eye in – and then surged ahead on the back of a second wind, keeping his tryst with his first non-Asia hundred with the most mellifluous of cover-drives against Josh Tongue. Not bad for his first day in office as a Test captain. One was about to say, 'Take a bow, Shubman' when that's exactly what he did – with his trademark celebration. The first of many bows from the skipper, you say?
Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Yashasvi Jaiswal does what no other batter in the history of cricket could: Tendulkar, Kohli, Viv Richards not close
Yashasvi Jaiswal has done what no other batter in the history of cricket could ever achieve. Viv Richards, Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid. Jacques Kallis, Kumar Sangakkara, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers. No one. Batters of different eras, belonging to different teams but no one even came close to achieving Jaiswal's feat. The India opener smashed his fifth Test century in the series opener of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy at Headingley in Leeds. India's Yashasvi Jaiswal celebrates his century during the 1st test match against England, at Headingley(@BCCI X) This was Jaiswal's fifth Test century overall, third against England and first in England in his first attempt. In the process, Jaiswal became the first visiting batter ever to register centuries on his maiden Test in both England and Australia. The 23-year-old Indian cricketer had smashed 161 in his first Test in Australia (Perth) in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. On Friday, he registered his maiden Test century in England in his first attempt. Notably, Tendulkar hit a century in his maiden Test tours to England and Australia, but it was not in his first Test. Tendulkar's first century in England was in his second Test there, while his maiden century in Australia came in his third attempt in Adelaide. Also Read | Yashasvi Jaiswal requests captain Shubman Gill to stop him mid-innings: 'Meri aadat hai josh mein aane ki' After hitting a successive fours against Brydon Carse in the 49th over, Jaiswal got to his landmark with a single off the last ball. He made no attempts to hide his excitement. He jumped, screamed and screamed some more to let the capacity crowd and those watching across the globe know that he has now got centuries in Australia, the West Indies and England. Jaiswal, who scored a century against the West Indies on Test debut, scored more than 700 runs in the home series against England last year and the left-hander continued his rich vein of form against the Three Lions even in their backyard. Jaiswal's century came at a time when there were serious concerns over how India's new-age batting order would perform in overseas conditions after the retirement of stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Yashasvi Jaiswal dominates England with Shubman Gill and KL Rahul Jaiswal began confidently in the morning, partnering with KL Rahul to give India a solid start after Ben Stokes chose to bowl first. The pair capitalised on a lacklustre England pace attack, punishing anything overpitched or straying onto the pads. Their 91-run opening stand laid the platform before Rahul, on 42, edged Brydon Carse to Joe Root at slip, and debutant Sai Sudharsan fell for a duck moments later. However, Jaiswal regrouped swiftly and found an able ally in new captain Shubman Gill. Together, they added an unbroken 123-run partnership by tea, steering India to 215-2. Gill, fluent and aggressive, struck a rapid 58* — his fastest Test fifty — including powerful drives and pulls that complemented Jaiswal's measured stroke-play. Jaiswal showed improved discipline, especially against deliveries in the channel outside off, an area where he struggled in the lead-up matches. His century came off 144 balls, featuring 16 boundaries, and included moments of exquisite timing as well as determined defence. Despite occasional cramping late in the session, he remained composed, bringing up his hundred with a sharp single after back-to-back boundaries off Carse. The promising left-hander was clean bowled for 101 right after Tea as England captain Ben Stokes produced a beauty of a delivery to beat his bat.
Indian Express
2 days ago
- Sport
- Indian Express
‘Winning Test series in England, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa bigger than winning IPL': Shubman Gill
India Test captain Shubman Gill on Thursday said that winning a Test series in countries like England, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand was a bigger achievement than winning the Indian Premier League (IPL) title. Gill is set to lead a new-look Indian side, bereft of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and R Ashwin, against England in a 5-match Test series, starting on Friday. 'Definitely the Test series in my opinion. You don't get many opportunities as a captain to be able to come to England. Maybe 2; if you are the best of your generation, maybe 3. The IPL comes every year and you have a crack at it every year. So in my opinion, winning a Test series in England, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa are bigger,' Gill said. Talking about leading his first series as the captain of India, Gill branded it as the biggest honour a player can get. "It is the biggest honour that a player can get" ✨ Shubman Gill on captaining India 🇮🇳 — Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) June 19, 2025 'It's the biggest honour a player can get. Captaining your country, especially in a Test series is something that not many people have the opportunity. I am very excited about the opportunity. The five-Test series starting at Headingley on Friday marks a generational shift in Indian cricket, with Gill taking over as the new red-ball captain. Veterans Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and R Ashwin are no longer part of the Test setup, having announced their retirements. From the old guard, Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Rahul, Rishabh Pant, who is the vice-captain, remain, providing a blend of experience alongside the new leadership group. On Wednesday, in a video shared on BCCI X, Gill had revealed what comes to mind when he thinks of playing in England. 'Dukes ball, that's number one. The weather which is always changing, that's exciting and tough. And just the atmosphere of the crowd,' Gill said. Coming to where Gill will bat, vice-captain Rishabh Pant had confirmed on Wednesday that newly appointed captain will take the No 4 option with No 3 slot yet to be decided.
