NEW DELHI: A baggy blue cap on his head, hands on his teammates’ shoulders, and a few charged-up words to fire up his squad — it was a familiar huddle for Shubman Gill, but this one held extra weight. At the boundary ropes of Headingley Stadium in Leeds, Gill addressed his team for the first time as India’s Test captain. With the batters having delivered a dominant performance, his message was clear: Let’s bowl England out early and take a 1-0 lead in the series.India were bowled out for 471 in their first innings of the opening Test against England, with three standout centuries leading the way. Skipper Shubman Gill (147), vice-captain Rishabh Pant (134), and opener Yashasvi Jaiswal (101) laid a solid foundation for India’s strong position in the match.Gill and Pant shared a game-shifting 209-run stand for the fourth wicket after Jaiswal and KL Rahul (42) had posted a 91-run opening partnership. WATCH: Jaiswal’s 101 came off 159 balls and included 16 fours and a six. Gill struck 19 boundaries and a six in his 227-ball 147, while Pant was the most aggressive, blasting 12 fours and 6 sixes during his 134-ball knock — his seventh Test hundred, now the most by any Indian wicketkeeper in the format.India, resuming at 359/3 on Day 2, lost their remaining seven wickets for 112 runs. Ben Stokes (4/66) and Josh Tongue (4/86) were the pick of England’s bowlers.
This total of 471 is now India’s highest first-innings score in an away Test since they made 622/7 declared at Sydney in 2019. It’s also their highest in a first innings in England since 664 at The Oval in 2007.
