Batting legend Sunil Gavaskar commended Rishabh Pant for his measured knock on Day 1 of the first Test against England at Headingley, Leeds.

The wicketkeeper-batter produced an unbeaten innings of 65* (102), with a perfect blend of caution and aggression as he propelled India in a dominating position along with skipper Shubman Gill.

Pant began his innings in typical fashion by going after Ben Stokes on just his second ball as he used his feet and hammered the England captain for a boundary straight down the ground. However, post that, the southpaw showed displayed restraint, scoring just 16 runs off his next 44 balls.

His mix of caution with aggression earned him plaudits from Gavaskar, who’s slammed the left-hander for his reckless approach in the past.

Speaking on Star Sports, Gavaskar lauded Pant for pacing his innings well and taking advantage of the bowlers when they’re tired.

“It seems like that’s how he plays. When he comes in to bat, on the second or third ball, he often uses his feet and hits a boundary. It makes him feel free and then allows him to play the way he wants. Over here, he's been measured in his approach—giving himself time out in the middle. But once he's in and the bowlers start to tire, that's when he begins to step down the pitch and really attack, hitting big shots, sixes, and boundaries,” Gavaskar stated.

“Because he gives himself that time early on, it becomes easier for him to play those aggressive strokes later. When he defends, he seems to have so much time against the pace bowlers—it almost looks like he's taking the mickey out of them, saying, 'Look, I've got all the time in the world; I don't need to play a big shot, I'm just middling the ball.' He’s got enormous talent. I’ve seen him score hundreds in South Africa and Australia, and they've been absolutely unbelievable. There’s such a great blend of defence and attack—starting with solid defence and then shifting to attack,” he added.

Coming to the match, India ended the opening day at 359/3. It was a memorable day for Gill, who slammed an unbeaten hundred (127* off 175) on his Test captaincy debut.

Earlier in the innings, Yashasvi Jaiswal (101 off 159) also hit a brilliant century to get the visitors off to a great start. Jaiswal added 91 runs for the opening wicket with KL Rahul, who returned with 42 off 78 balls.