Yashasvi Jaiswal and K.L. Rahul set a new record for India’s highest opening partnership at Headingley, scoring 91 runs in the first Test against England. Despite late wickets, their stylish stand dominated the morning session.
Leeds, June 20 (IANS) India’s opening pair of Yashasvi Jaiswal and K.L. Rahul stamped their authority at Headingley with a record-breaking stand, becoming the most successful Indian openers at the venue in Test cricket in the ongoing first Test of the five-match series on Friday.
The stylish left-right combination put together 91 runs for the first wicket, surpassing the 64-run mark set by legends Sunil Gavaskar and Kris Srikkanth back in 1986 — a record that stood unchallenged for 39 years.
After England captain Ben Stokes opted to bowl first under overcast skies, Jaiswal and Rahul faced a disciplined new-ball attack led by Chris Woakes and Brydon Carse. The Indian openers started cautiously, showing sound judgment outside off and immense patience.
As the session wore on, both batters found fluency—Rahul unfurling elegant drives through cover, and Jaiswal playing with a mix of controlled aggression and solid technique.
Their partnership of 91 runs was a masterclass in shot selection and temperament, with the pair collecting 16 boundaries, all via classical strokes through the offside. Despite a few testing deliveries—most notably a nasty ribcage blow to Jaiswal from Carse—the duo looked in complete control. For a while, England appeared bereft of ideas, even burning a DRS review on a delivery that pitched comfortably outside leg stump.
Just as it seemed India would head to lunch with all ten wickets intact, England roared back in the final six balls of the session to peg the visitors back. Brydon Carse provided the much-needed breakthrough with a wide outswinger that KL Rahul edged to Joe Root at first slip for a composed 42.
Then, on debut, Sai Sudharsan lasted just four balls before falling to a leg-side strangle off Ben Stokes—caught behind by Jamie Smith for a duck.
Those two quick wickets brought life back into a contest that was rapidly tilting India’s way. Despite the wobble, Yashasvi Jaiswal remained unbeaten on 44 at lunch, continuing to look assured after his stellar showing in the previous India-England series w, where he tallied over 700 runs.
Pre-lunch session:
India were well on their way to outrightly win the first session’s play, but KL Rahul and B. Sai Sudharsan falling in six balls at the stroke of lunch meant the visitors’ reached 92/2 in 25.4 overs on Day One of the first Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series at Headingley here on Friday.
For an hour and 54 minutes, India were running away with this session, all thanks to Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal sticking to the basics of batting well in England – being patient, leaving the balls well, and cashing on real loose deliveries, resulting in some superbly-middled drives, to share a brilliant 91-run opening stand.
But with Rahul and debutant Sudharsan falling softly for 42 and zero respectively, India squandered their well-earned advantage, allowing England to go into the lunch break with some happiness despite the hosts being made to toil hard for 90% of the time in the session. Though Jaiswal is unbeaten on 42 not out, he and new skipper Shubman Gill have a good resurrecting job to do.
Pushed into batting first, Jaiswal got India’s first boundary of the series by prodding forward and defending with soft hands to take a boundary through gully off Chris Woakes. He grew in confidence with every drive, either going through mid-off or in the arc between cover and backward-point.
On the other hand, after getting a boundary off a thick outside edge, Rahul began showing his sublime cover-driving skills – pressing forward and then leaning into the drive off Chris Woakes for four. England’s desperation for a wicket was so huge that they burnt a review when Josh Tongue trapped Jaiswal, who was hit earlier on the ribs by Carse, lbw with an inswinger, but replays showed the ball pitching outside leg-stump.
England not attacking stumps much meant they didn’t have the precision to stop Jaiswal and Rahul from playing the glorious straight and cover drives, though a few attempted drives did fly over the slip cordon. Apart from slashing and driving off Stokes on consecutive balls, Rahul was picture-perfect in his cover drive – front foot towards the pitch of the ball, getting down on one knee, and playing with a high elbow.
But with Carse finding some late movement, Rahul had to stand up to defend against him and then shouldered arms against a full and wide delivery. But against a full and wide outswinger, Rahul couldn’t resist the temptation and went for a drive, but nicked to the first slip, leaving the batter livid.
One brought two for England as Sudharsan faced instant baptism by fire – surviving an lbw appeal first ball, edging his second delivery past the slips, and coming close to flicking down the leg-side on the third ball.
But on the very next ball, the nervy Sudharsan again flicked down the leg-side but was caught by the keeper leaping to his right and departing for a four-ball duck off Stokes, as those two dismissals totally changed the session’s outlook from all things India to shared one.
–IANS
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