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.

Riding on centuries from Gill (147 off 227), Yashasvi Jaiswal (101 off 159) and Rishabh Pant (134 off 178), India racked up 471 in their first innings. The visitors were on course for a 600+ total on the board, but they squandered the advantage on Day 2 by losing seven wickets for 41 runs.

Nonetheless, this performance impressed fans and experts alike. Former skipper Sourav Ganguly also expressed confidence in India’s smooth transition, attributing it to the country’s robust domestic structure.

“I was never worried about Indian cricket. There will be someone taking Indian cricket forward. I am not surprised with Yashasvi (Jaiswal) because I rate him as a fantastic batter, he is someone who should play all formats," Ganguly was quoted as saying by PTI.

Jaiswal showcased impeccable composure and confidence to notch up his fifth career Test century on Day 1 of the first Test series against England at Headingley. This was his third ton in overseas tours after registering centuries in the West Indies and Australia earlier.

“I am not surprised by Yashasvi’s performance because I have seen him play in Australia, the West Indies, and India, hope he keeps on performing like this but Shubman Gill’s improvement is commendable.

“Shubman and his batting away from home, I am telling you India has a lot of talent, there are 4-5 players waiting now who, when given a chance, will score runs," Ganguly said.

While Ganguly acknowledged that replacing someone like Kohli is challenging, he praised Gill’s quality, especially in the No. 4 spot.

“Virat is a class player, finding his replacement will take time. But the rest, I wasn’t, I was not surprised by what I saw with Shubman. There is too much quality in Indian cricket because of the system, the quality of domestic cricket, leagues, because of the kind of time and money associations put in developing a player," he remarked.

The former BCCI president also appreciated the change in approach by wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant, who managed to curb his natural instincts to score a century in the Leeds Test.

“Rishabh plays fast bowling well, I didn’t like his batting in Australia, he was playing a lot of shots. Yesterday (Friday) he did restrictive batting, he has curtailed his game on his strengths, he is a great player in Tests, and will play all the three formats," Ganguly added.

(With inputs from PTI)