With the sunset casting shadows at Headingley, Rishabh Pant did what only Rishabh Pant can dare to do. It was the final over of Day 1 in the first Test at Headingley, a time when most batters would bunker down and play out the day. But not Pant. With India sitting pretty at 351/3, Pant danced down the track to a length delivery from Chris Woakes and dispatched it cleanly over deep square leg for six.
Woakes stood there in stunned amusement. So did England captain Ben Stokes, who could only smile in disbelief. But the best reaction came moments later, and not from the field. As Pant climbed up the Headingley steps to return unbeaten on 65, KL Rahul, standing near the entrance of the dressing room, folded his hands and bowed towards the left-hander in a mock gesture of reverence. It was equal parts admiration and banter as Pant refused to curb his aggressive instincts, yet returned unbeaten at the end of the day.
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The six wasn’t born out of recklessness, though. In his typical style, he picked the moment and struck clean. It capped a near-perfect day for India, who ended at 359/3 after being asked to bat first on a green top.
Earlier in the day, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill laid the foundation for India’s dominance. Jaiswal became the first visiting batter to hit centuries in his maiden Tests in Australia and England, his fluent 101 showcasing strokeplay and maturity before he was eventually dismissed. Gill, in his first Test as captain, remained unbeaten on 127, a chanceless, composed knock that doubled as a statement of leadership.
Pant’s arrival in the final session shifted the tempo. From resisting to releasing, he provided a burst of energy just when England hoped for containment. His 91-ball 65, featuring two sixes and seven fours, came with minimum fuss and maximum intent.
Rahul himself played an important knock at the top of the order; while he couldn’t reach his half-century, he played a strong hand, scoring 42 off 78 deliveries to help stitch a 91-run partnership for the first wicket.
The lone blot on an otherwise dominant day for India came in the form of Sai Sudharsan’s forgettable debut. Thrown into the deep end after KL Rahul’s dismissal, the left-hander looked tentative and was dismissed for a duck, seemingly undone more by nerves than skill. It was a harsh initiation to Test cricket, but with another innings to come, Sudharsan will be aiming to shake off the jitters and prove he belongs on the big stage.