India’s much-awaited Test tour of England got underway on Friday (June 20) at Headingley. The five-match series not only marks a new era under the captaincy of Shubman Gill but also represents a generational shift, following the recent retirements of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and R Ashwin.
The young Indian team began the series positively, dominating the English bowling attack after being invited to bat first.
The visitors ended the opening day at 359/3. Skipper Shubman Gill (127* off 175) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (101 off 159) stole the show with stunning hundreds, while Rishabh Pant (65* off 102) and KL Rahul (42 off 78 balls) returned with valuable contributions.
After the day’s play, the legendary Sachin Tendulkar heaped praise on India’s impressive start to the inaugural Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy against England.
“A solid foundation laid by KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal enabled India to have a good day,” wrote Tendulkar on X.
“Congratulations to Yashasvi and Shubman Gill for their brilliant centuries. Rishabh Pant’s contribution was equally important for the team,” he added.
Tendulkar was also reminded of India’s similar Leeds performance in 2002, and wondered who could be the third centurion this time around.
“India’s batting today reminded me of the Headingley Test in 2002, when Rahul (Dravid), Sourav Ganguly, and I scored hundreds in the first innings, and we went on to win the Test. Today, Yashasvi and Shubman have done their part. Who will be the third centurion this time?,” he asked.
Replying to the post, former India captain Sourav Ganguly highlighted that the conditions were a lot different back then when he opted to bat first at Headingley.
Led by No. 3 Rahul Dravid’s century (148) on the opening day, Tendulkar (193) and Ganguly (127) took the English attack to the cleaners on the subsequent days as India racked up a mammoth 628/8 (declared) before inflicting an innings defeat to the hosts.
Considering the nature of the pitch, Ganguly predicted a fourth century on this occasion, backing Pant and comeback man Karun Nair to cross the three-figure mark.
“Hi Champ..This time it could be 4 (hundreds) on this good surface. Pant and maybe Karun. The surface on day 1 in 2002 was a bit different than this,” remarked Ganguly.
To which, Sachin Tendulkar retorted with a “fingers crossed” emoji.
India’s last Test series win in England came in 2007, when Rahul Dravid led the team to a 1-0 victory. Their most recent tour in 2021–22 ended in a 2-2 draw.
While England have maintained an unbeaten home Test series record under Ben Stokes’s leadership since mid-2022, the current challenge is compounded by their depleted bowling unit.
India will be eyeing their first Test series win on English soil in 17 years, while the Three Lions look to preserve their formidable home record under Stokes.
