Ton-up Gill, Jaiswal lead India to 359/3 on Day 1
Leeds, Jun 20 (PTI): Yashasvi Jaiswal and captain Shubman Gill announced their readiness to carry India's batting into the post Virat Kohli-Rohit Sharma era, striking marvellous hundreds to guide the visitors to a dominant 359 for three against a faltering England on the first day of the opening Test here on Friday.
Gill (127 batting) and Jaiswal (101, 159b) shared a 129-run partnership for a determined third wicket alliance that carried India to 221 from a slightly wobbly 92 for two after KL Rahul (42) and debutant B Sai Sudharsan (0) were dismissed in quick succession.
Rishabh Pant (65 batting) was keeping vigil with Gill at close.
But there was an underlying significance to the centuries of Jaiswal and Gill other than giving India a head-start on the first day of the newly-minted five-match Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.
This Indian batting line-up is a tad thin on experience after the recent retirements of former skippers Kohli and Rohit, who played at the pivotal No. 4 and opening slots in their illustrious careers.
Both Jaiswal and Gill are not newcomers to the unforgiving Test arena, but there has been this widespread anxiety over how the 'New Gen' India stars would step into the big shoes of their predecessors.
But the portends are quite bright, if the day's innings by Jaiswal and Gill are anything to go by.
Jaiswal was the first to reach the three-figure mark, the fifth in his flourishing career, off 144 balls and Gill reached his own landmark off 140 balls in the final passage of the day, heralding the start of a new era in Indian cricket.
But the way they reached that point was entirely different. Jaiswal eschewed his natural flair as the first session offered its own share of assistance to the English bowlers in the shape of movement and carry.
However, it was an altogether different matter that the home bowlers were not prudent enough to exploit that offering, and later the pitch eased up considerably.
But a flaccid track and a fangless England attack without James Anderson or Stuart Broad could not take the sheen out of the knocks of Jaiswal and Gill.
It was not a typical Jaiswal innings where he simply flayed the bowlers around, but he showed admirable self-restraint, particularly outside the off-stump.
The left-hander was dismissed in that channel a couple of times while playing for India A against the England Lions in the recent tour matches, but here the 23-year-old did not repeat his mistakes.
Jaiswal began the morning session with a gorgeous drive through mid-off off pacer Chris Woakes, and he only grew in confidence from there.
Perhaps, the only time he showed his aggressive mindset was when the left-hander carted pacer Josh Tongue for a six and then later hammered him for two consecutive fours to reach 99.
It was Jaiswal's first innings in England, and he made it memorable, making a hundred soon after scampering for a single despite suffering some cramps on his hands.
He celebrated with gusto too — a roar and leap into the Headingley sky. England could not be blamed for imagining the Indian batter repeating his 712-run effort he managed last year during a home series.
If Jaiswal’s innings was more about adaptation, Gill’s knock was all about following his natural batting doctrine, which has its fundamentals in timing and elegance.
The right-hander played shots with minimum follow-through through on-side and with a flourish on the off-side.
The 25-year-old's languid grace wowed the crowd when he essayed an off-drive off Chris Woakes and followed it up with a dreamy clip off the pads for a four as currently England's second most experienced Test bowler went for nearly five runs an over across the first two sessions.
Once he went past the fifty off just 56 balls, Gill slowed down a touch, and nerves grew once he went past 90.
There was a cheeky uppish shot through the gully of Tongue and a full-stretched dive saved him from a potentially close run out.
But Gill did not want to let go of the opportunity to score a hundred in his first innings as India's Test captain.
He brought up that mark with a sumptuous boundary off Tongue, getting a standing ovation from everyone.
Gill also joined a very exclusive club of Vijay Hazare, Sunil Gavaskar, Dilip Vengsarkar and Virat Kohli as the Indian batters with hundreds on their captaincy debut.
However, the blooming alliance ended when the giant-hearted England skipper Ben Stokes produced a peach to rattle the stumps of Jaiswal immediately after tea.
Gill carried on nevertheless in the company of his adventurous deputy Pant, who in the process of making his 16th Test fifty completed 3000 runs in the format.
Gill and Pant added 138 runs for the unfinished fourth wicket stand, and it has the potential to produce more sparkling moments on Day 2.
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Alliance partners welcome DMDK into DMK fold, BJP slams Premalatha Vijayakanth's move
Chennai (PTI): Parties in the DMK-led SPA on Thursday welcomed DMDK joining the alliance, while the BJP slammed the move, stating that the "soul of Vijayakanth will not forgive" the party for forging ties with the DMK.
Earlier in the day, the late actor Vijayakanth, founded DMDK, joined the Secular Progressive Alliance here for the upcoming Tamil Nadu assembly polls.
Tamil Nadu Congress said DMDK forming an alliance with the DMK is a "significant development" in the state politics.
TNCC president K Selvaperunthagai said, "In view of the forthcoming assembly election, DMDK joining the DMK is a significant development in Tamil Nadu politics."
"I welcome the decision taken by (DMDK General Secretary) Premalatha Vijayakanth and DMDK executives for taking a great decision. I congratulate. This alliance was formed with the aim of prioritizing social justice, secularism, democratic values that will have the power to fulfill the people's expectations," he wrote in a social media post.
"Formed for the welfare, progress and prosperous future of the state, this alliance will surely achieve victory," he said.
Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) leader Vaiko, another ally of the SPA, hailed the development as 'sweet news'.
"We happily welcome them. The SPA gets strengthened by this alliance. Victory for the DMK-led alliance has been confirmed with this", he told reporters in Madurai.
However, the Tamil Nadu BJP unit reacted sharply and criticised the move as a 'betrayal' of the DMDK founder's legacy.
The movement created by the Captain joining the anti-people DMK, will "never be forgiven by the Captain's Soul", it said on its social media handle. The DMDK founder is fondly addressed as 'Captain.'
BJP leader Tamilisai Soundararajan said, "As far as I am concerned, they (DMDK) have boarded a sinking ship. Invoking the legacy of Captain, they have forced their cadres to act as captains of a vessel that is already going down."
Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC) chief G K Vasan, who is part of NDA in Tamil Nadu, said the alliance between the DMDK and the DMK was against the expectations of the people.
"As long as Captain was alive, he never formed an alliance with the DMK. People will not accept this alliance," he told reporters in Tiruchirappalli.
Actor-Politician Vijay led-Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) said not even one per cent of the people will accept this DMDK-DMK alliance.
"Captain Vijayakanth faced a lot of insults from the DMK and toiled hard to develop his party. When all these alliance partners converge on a stage, not even 1 per cent of the people will believe in them. They will not accept this alliance at any cost," TVK joint general secretary CTR Nirmal Kumar told reporters in Chennai.
Meanwhile, Premalatha, after announcing her alliance with the DMK, offered prayers at the memorial of Captain in Chennai and later took part in Annadanam (free meal) organised at the DMDK headquarters.
"After the announcement of our alliance, on this special day, I performed a special pooja at the Captain's Temple and offered Annadanam. It is not just a political decision but my commitment to safeguard the people's belief," she said.
"With the blessings of Captain and people's support, we will definitely win", she wrote and shared some images on her social media handle.
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