Archive June 20, 2025

Virat, who?

There is a reason Ben Stokes has been trying to banish talk of Australia.

The eye kept firmly fixed on the next Ashes series is English cricket’s biggest weakness – one that occasionally borders on obsession.

Stokes wanted to ensure none of that distraction reached his dressing room because, long before it was laid bare by the hosts’ toil on day one of the five-Test series against India in Leeds, he knew the size of the challenge his side’s current opponents will pose over the next six weeks.

Stokes and England must already be sick of Yashasvi Jaiswal.

The 23-year-old may look no older than the university freshers who fill the terraced streets around Headingley but the batter who lived in a groundsman’s tent as a 10-year-old has quickly become England’s scourge.

In India’s 4-1 home series win against Stokes’ men last year, Jaiswal piled up 712 runs and sent their greatest bowler James Anderson into early retirement.

In Rajkot he hit three consecutive sixes off Anderson, the first a thrillingly inventive slog sweep over deep square leg.

This classy 101 from 159 balls was a total contrast – an innings that would have pleased Yorkshire and England great Sir Geoffrey Boycott watching on.

Jaiswal may be an Indian Premier League megastar but he began slowly before growing in intent to crash England’s bowlers through the off side. England targeted the pads from over the wicket but that angle only aided his strengths as he scored 92 of his runs through the off side.

Jaiswal now has centuries in his first Test and first innings in both Australia and England – the two destinations where all Indian batters are judged most – while no-one from the world’s cricketing superpower can match his haul of 1,899 runs after 20 Tests.

The talk before this match was about how India replace the run machine that was Kohli, the defining cricketer of the past decade who stepped away after giving the format 9,230 runs, 30 centuries and everything more.

Yet Jaiswal already has 15 scores of 50 or more to his name, four more than Kohli at the same stage. At this point the great Sachin Tendulkar had only eight.

While Jaiswal bounded around Headingley in celebrating three figures, India’s second century was met with a roaring release of emotion.

Shubman Gill, the player of the tournament at the Under-19 World Cup and an IPL debutant at 18, has been groomed for this role since he was a teen.

As he timed Josh Tongue through the covers – a shot that epitomised this procession to a first Test century outside of Asia – he took a moment before feelings from all of those days, weeks and years of waiting came bursting out.

Gill may be the perfect India captain for their new era.

While Rohit Sharma, Kohli and MS Dhoni before him were captains who began their careers before the IPL’s explosion, Gill has grown up alongside it to the point occasions such as these must feel like a hit in the local park.

What is a Test match in front of 20,000 in West Yorkshire when you have captained your franchise before 100,000 at the world’s biggest sporting stadium?

That is not to say Gill’s ascension will diminish the Test game.

Kohli fought against the strongest tides to promote the longest format during his career and Gill has begun in a similar vein.

On Thursday he said winning this series would be bigger than anything the IPL could offer. His celebration suggested those words were not merely spoken to please.

An elegant cover drive and a ferocious fitness regime are other similarities between Gill and Kohli. Their differences are stark too.

The pristine Kohli would never bat with black socks – club players receive fines for less – and a badly matching undershirt as Gill did on Friday, nor would he joke with the media as Gill did 24 hours earlier.

“I wouldn’t be telling you any tips one day before the match,” Gill said with an endearing smile when asked to share any advice his predecessors gave before this series.

He may not have the aura of Kohli but Gill exudes a softly-spoken calmness.

In his first knock as skipper, Gill’s false shot percentage was a mere 8.5% throughout his 175 balls, making this the most serene innings by an Indian in England since 2006.

There was a miscalculated call for a run where an Ollie Pope hit would have run out the diving India captain on one but afterwards Gill’s pre-match calmness was reflected in the middle.

It is folly to draw too many conclusions from one day in the sun.

England’s understrength bowling attack lacked threat in the Leeds sunshine but Chris Woakes will not be as generous in offering boundary chances again.

KL Rahul and Jaiswal saw off the new ball but on another day their edges in the opening overs go to hand.

It is clear, though, that any fears for India after the retirements of Kohli and Rohit were misplaced.

A band of IPL rockstars – frontman Jasprit Bumrah is yet to be seen and Rishabh Pant played only a quick cameo – have the chance to go one better than Rohit and Kohli, who both retired without the series win in England they craved.

Who is Virat, exactly?

Ben Stokes has been trying to stop talk of Australia for a reason.

English cricket’s biggest weakness is that it occasionally borders on obsession, with the focus on the upcoming Ashes series.

Stokes knew the magnitude of the challenge his side’s current opponents will face over the next six weeks because he had already been aware of it before the hosts’ toil on day one of the five-test series against India in Leeds revealed how serious the distraction would be for him.

Yashasvi Jaiswal must already be disliked by Stokes and England.

The batter who lived in a groundsman’s tent as a 10-year-old has quickly become England’s scourge despite the 23-year-old appearing no older than the university freshmen who fill the terraced streets around Headingley.

In their 4-1 home series victory over Stokes’ men last year, Jaiswal tallied 712 runs and placed their best bowler, James Anderson, in early retirement.

He hit three straight sixes off Anderson in Rajkot, the first of which was a thrillingly inventive sweep over a deep square leg.

A total contrast, this elegant 101 from 159 balls, would have delighted Yorkshire and England great Sir Geoffrey Boycott who was watching.

Although Jaiswal is a megastar in the Indian Premier League, he started out slowly before aiming to send England’s bowlers off. England attempted to hit the pads from over the wicket, but the offside batsman only managed to score 92 of his runs.

No one from the world’s cricketing superpower can match Jaiswal’s 1, 899 runs after 20 Tests, despite the fact that he has now scored centuries in his first Test and first innings in both Australia and England, which are the two places where all Indian batters are most scrutinized.

Before this game, it was discussed how India could replace Kohli, the defining cricketer of the past ten years who left after delivering the format with 230 runs, 30 centuries, and everything else.

However, Jaiswal already has 15 or more 50-point records, four more than Kohli at the same time. The legendary Sachin Tendulkar only had eight at this point.

India’s second century was met with a roaring release of emotion, as Jaiswal scurried around Headingley to celebrate three figures.

Shubman Gill, an IPL debutant at age 18, has been groomed for this role since he was a teenager. He won the tournament player of the year at the Under-19 World Cup.

As he timed Josh Tongue through the covers, a shot that perfectly captured the first Test century outside of Asia, he had a moment to recover from all those waits, weeks, and years.

Gill might make the ideal captain for their new era.

Before him, Rohit Sharma, Kohli, and MS Dhoni were captains who had their careers a year before the IPL’s explosion, but Gill has grown up in a way that makes special occasions like these feel like a hit in the neighborhood park.

When you led your franchise in front of 100, 000 spectators at the biggest sporting stadium in the world, what is a test match in West Yorkshire in front of 20 000?

Gill’s ascendance does not mean the Test match will be less enjoyable.

Gill has started in a similar vein to Kohli, who has used the strongest tides in his career to promote the longest format.

He claimed on Thursday that the IPL’s potential would outweigh any success in the series. His exaltation suggested that those words were not intended to be merely a request.

Gill and Kohli have similar traits, including an elegant cover drive and a fierce fitness regimen. They also have a lot of differences.

The unadulterated Kohli never batted with black socks, which club players do not get, and a poorly matching undershirt like Gill did on Friday, nor would he make fun of the media as Gill did 24 hours earlier.

When asked to share any advice his predecessors gave before this series, Gill replied, “I wouldn’t be telling you any tips one day before the match.”

Gill possesses a softly spoken calmness despite the fact that he may not share Kohli’s aura.

Gill’s 175 balls as skipper saw him record the most serene innings by an Indian in England since 2006, with a mere 8.5% of his false shots percentage.

An Ollie Pope hit that was made a mistaken call for a run that would have ended the diving India captain, but Gill’s pre-match calmness was reflected in the middle afterward.

It is absurd to draw too many conclusions from a single day of sunshine.

In the Leeds sunshine, Chris Woakes’ understrength bowling attack did not pose a threat, but he will be less generous with boundary chances once more.

KL Rahul and Jaiswal were able to defend the new ball, but their opening overs were halted by hand on another day.

However, it is obvious that any worries about India following Kohli and Rohit’s retirements were unfounded.

Rishabh Pant’s quick cameo against Rohit and Kohli, who both retired without the series win in England they desired has a chance to go one better than the band of IPL rockstars that frontman Jasprit Bumrah has yet to be seen.

Former captain Michael Vaughan said he was “staggered” by England’s decision to field first after India piled on 359-3 on day one of the first Test at Headingley.

Despite hot temperatures and a pitch offering no obvious assistance to the bowlers, England captain Ben Stokes chose to bowl on winning the toss.

Stokes’ choice gave the opportunity for opposite number Shubman Gill to stroke an unbeaten 127, while opener Yashasvi Jaiswal cracked 101. In Stokes’ defence, Gill also admitted he would have bowled first.

But Vaughan, who played all of his domestic cricket for Yorkshire, told Test Match Special: “I am an old school traditionalist. Here at Leeds, when the sun is shining, with dry weather, you bat.”

England have made a habit of fielding first since Stokes became captain in 2022.

In nine previous home Tests in which England have won the toss in that period, they have batted first only once. From those nine matches, they have won six and probably would have had a seventh had it not been for rain in Manchester during the fourth Ashes Test of 2023.

Recent history also favours fielding first at Headingley. The previous six Tests on this ground were won by the team that fielded first.

There can be justification for fielding first in good batting conditions. In order to win a Test a team needs to bowl the opposition out twice, and therefore gives themselves the maximum amount of time to do that by fielding first.

Vaughan, who famously captained England to victory in the 2005 Ashes, believes Stokes should have given more credence to conditions on Friday morning when he made his decision.

“You always have to pick your decisions on that moment, and not things that you did here years ago or at other times. It can’t affect what the decision is today,” he said.

“You look at the England side and their strength is in the batting. And there is inexperience in the bowling at the moment. Ben clearly had a gut feeling, and sometimes it has worked.”

England fast bowling consultant Tim Southee explained the decision was partly affected by the green colour of the pitch on Thursday.

“With the colour of the wicket yesterday, and a little bit of moisture left in it if there was a little bit of help in it, it was probably going to be this morning,” said the New Zealander. “That was the thinking behind the decision.

“You look at the surface and make the decision on what you think will give you the best chance. Not all the time do you get it right.”

There are infamous examples of England captains choosing to field first, only for the decision to backfire.

Nasser Hussain did so in the first Ashes Test against Australia in Brisbane in 2002 and England never recovered. David Gower inserted the Australians on this ground in 1989, only for the tourists to rack up 601-7 declared.

In contrast, Stokes himself asked New Zealand to bat first at Trent Bridge in 2022. The Black Caps piled on 553, but England completed a fourth-innings run chase courtesy of Jonny Bairstow, the first example of ‘Bazball’.

Therefore, the wisdom of Stokes’ decision in this Test will be revealed over the following four days and will be heavily influenced by how England play India pace-bowling maestro Jasprit Bumrah.

“It was a good pitch, so it’s not easy to restrict runs,” said Vaughan. “Ben Stokes is still positive and he will come back tomorrow saying let’s get seven wickets.

Former captain Michael Vaughan said he was “staggered” by England’s decision to field first after India piled on 359-3 on day one of the first Test at Headingley.

Despite hot temperatures and a pitch offering no obvious assistance to the bowlers, England captain Ben Stokes chose to bowl on winning the toss.

Stokes’ choice gave the opportunity for opposite number Shubman Gill to stroke an unbeaten 127, while opener Yashasvi Jaiswal cracked 101. In Stokes’ defence, Gill also admitted he would have bowled first.

But Vaughan, who played all of his domestic cricket for Yorkshire, told Test Match Special: “I am an old school traditionalist. Here at Leeds, when the sun is shining, with dry weather, you bat.”

England have made a habit of fielding first since Stokes became captain in 2022.

In nine previous home Tests in which England have won the toss in that period, they have batted first only once. From those nine matches, they have won six and probably would have had a seventh had it not been for rain in Manchester during the fourth Ashes Test of 2023.

Recent history also favours fielding first at Headingley. The previous six Tests on this ground were won by the team that fielded first.

There can be justification for fielding first in good batting conditions. In order to win a Test a team needs to bowl the opposition out twice, and therefore gives themselves the maximum amount of time to do that by fielding first.

Vaughan, who famously captained England to victory in the 2005 Ashes, believes Stokes should have given more credence to conditions on Friday morning when he made his decision.

“You always have to pick your decisions on that moment, and not things that you did here years ago or at other times. It can’t affect what the decision is today,” he said.

“You look at the England side and their strength is in the batting. And there is inexperience in the bowling at the moment. Ben clearly had a gut feeling, and sometimes it has worked.”

England fast bowling consultant Tim Southee explained the decision was partly affected by the green colour of the pitch on Thursday.

“With the colour of the wicket yesterday, and a little bit of moisture left in it if there was a little bit of help in it, it was probably going to be this morning,” said the New Zealander. “That was the thinking behind the decision.

“You look at the surface and make the decision on what you think will give you the best chance. Not all the time do you get it right.”

There are infamous examples of England captains choosing to field first, only for the decision to backfire.

Nasser Hussain did so in the first Ashes Test against Australia in Brisbane in 2002 and England never recovered. David Gower inserted the Australians on this ground in 1989, only for the tourists to rack up 601-7 declared.

In contrast, Stokes himself asked New Zealand to bat first at Trent Bridge in 2022. The Black Caps piled on 553, but England completed a fourth-innings run chase courtesy of Jonny Bairstow, the first example of ‘Bazball’.

Therefore, the wisdom of Stokes’ decision in this Test will be revealed over the following four days and will be heavily influenced by how England play India pace-bowling maestro Jasprit Bumrah.

“It was a good pitch, so it’s not easy to restrict runs,” said Vaughan. “Ben Stokes is still positive and he will come back tomorrow saying let’s get seven wickets.