Former India batter Sachin Tendulkar lauded Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant for their centuries in India’s first innings of the ongoing first Test of the five-match series against England on day two, and also decoded how the duo used Hindi to play mind games with England.

As Gill and Pant inflicted more agony on the England attack consisting of Ben Stokes, Brydon Carse, Shoaib Bashir, Josh Tongue, and Chris Woakes, they amassed 209 runs for the fourth wicket. Gill and Jaiswal each used a deliberate strategy to defeat the hosts, balancing aggression and caution.

India scored 471 in Leeds with Shubman Gill scoring 147 and Rishabh Pant scoring 134.

Regarding the pair's strategy in the opening Test, Sachin Tendulkar had some intriguing things to say. In front of England spinner Shoaib Bashir, he also praised the two batters for continuing to engage in "mind games" by speaking Hindi.

When discussing the left-handed batter's skill at playing a falling paddle sweep of the seamers and spinners, the Master Blaster said that there is a method to Pant's madness.

“Rishabh's falling paddle sweep is not accidental. It is intentional and extremely clever. Going down with the shot allows him to get under the ball and scoop it over the leg slip with control.

Also noticed something interesting during Bashir’s spell. Shubman and Rishabh were speaking loudly in Hindi between deliveries. It wasn’t just casual talk. They were playing mind games with the bowler, trying to disrupt his rhythm. These minor details may not appear on the scoreboard, but they can have a significant impact on the game,” Tendulkar posted on X.