Pant’s Century Highlights India’s Strong Start Before England Fight Back in 1st Test
Rishabh Pant lit up Headingley with a blazing century on the second day of the first Test, becoming the third Indian batter to reach three figures in the innings. However, a strong counterattack by England’s bowlers saw India lose four quick wickets before lunch, halting their charge toward an even bigger total.
India reached 454-7 at the lunch interval on Saturday, having resumed the day on 359-3. Skipper Shubman Gill, unbeaten overnight on 127, extended his innings to 147 before falling to a mistimed shot off Shoaib Bashir. Gill’s knock, which included 19 fours and a six, was his highest in Test cricket, surpassing his previous best of 128 against Australia in 2023.
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Pant, who resumed on 65, reached his seventh Test hundred — and fourth against England — in dramatic fashion. The 27-year-old charged down the wicket and despite losing grip with one hand, launched Bashir for a six over deep midwicket. His 146-ball innings featured 10 fours, four sixes, and a somersault celebration upon reaching the milestone.
Together, Gill and Pant added 209 runs in 49 overs for the fourth wicket, powering India to 430-4. But England finally broke the stand when Gill’s attempted pick-up shot found Brydon Carse in the deep.
Pant survived a stumping chance on 124 when England wicketkeeper Jamie Smith missed a straightforward opportunity, but his innings ended on 134 when he was trapped lbw by Josh Tongue — having scored 84 of his runs in boundaries.
England’s momentum continued as they dismissed Karun Nair for a duck, thanks to a sharp diving catch by Ollie Pope at extra cover off Ben Stokes. Earlier, debutant Sai Sudharsan also fell without scoring on day one, resulting in a rare statistical anomaly: for the first time in Test history, a team’s top six featured three centuries and two ducks in a single innings.
Stokes, who led England’s attack with figures of 4-66 from 19.4 overs, dismissed Shardul Thakur to end the session early. Despite the late collapse, India remain well-placed in the series opener of this five-match contest, with depth still in their batting order and a commanding first-innings total on the board.
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