2nd Test: Tendulkar Praises ‘Fearless’ Jaiswal and ‘Cool’ Gill for Classy Day 1 Performances

New Delhi — Legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar has lauded opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and captain Shubman Gill for their outstanding performances on the opening day of the second Test against England at Edgbaston, which saw India post 310/5 at stumps.

On an overcast morning, England, sticking with an unchanged playing XI, opted to bowl first after winning the toss. India, on the other hand, made three changes to their squad from the previous Test in Leeds, reorganizing their batting order in search of greater depth — a strategy that was put to the test right from the start.

Despite a minor collapse in the evening session, Shubman Gill held firm with a composed, unbeaten 114, stitching together a vital unbroken 99-run partnership with Ravindra Jadeja (41*) to guide India to stumps without further damage.

The tone for India’s innings, however, was set by Yashasvi Jaiswal, whose aggressive yet controlled knock of 87 laid the foundation. After the early dismissal of KL Rahul, Jaiswal steadied the innings with two crucial half-century partnerships — one with Karun Nair and another with Gill. England’s bowlers, especially Chris Woakes, extracted movement and bounce with the new ball, but managed just one early breakthrough.

Taking to social media platform X, Tendulkar praised the young duo, writing:
“@ybj_19 set the tone from ball one. He was positive, fearless, and smartly aggressive. @ShubmanGill was cool as ever, calm under pressure, solid in defence, and totally in control. Classy knocks from both. Well played, boys!”

Speaking after the day’s play, Jaiswal returned the praise to his skipper. “He’s been incredible with the bat and as a captain. It’s amazing to watch him bat, and he’s very clear about what he wants from the team. We’re confident about our approach,” Jaiswal said.

He added, “We’re all enjoying batting. The plan is simple—the set batter has to take the innings deep. Everyone is on the same page.”

England pacer Chris Woakes also acknowledged Gill’s remarkable innings. “There were a couple of moments where we thought we had him, especially that inside edge when appealing for lbw,” Woakes admitted. “But apart from those, he looked in control of everything. Full credit to him—it was a top-quality hundred and a significant one for his side.”

With inputs from IANS